Klaroline Drabble Series
by JeDorsToutLeTemps
Summary: Exactly as the title says. These were originally posted on tumblr at mon-amour-eternel, and are also on AO3. Ratings vary.
1. Perfection

**Summary:** Klaus gets a goddamn F.R.I.E.N.D.S. quote when he's three years old. Soulmates AH/AU.

 **Rating:** General/SFW

* * *

Klaus gets a goddamn F.R.I.E.N.D.S. quote when he's three years old.

"Gum would be perfection."

He doesn't know that it's a quote until after he meets her, though.

* * *

Klaus is out to eat with Rebekah, Freya, and Lucy, Freya and Lucien's daughter. She's the oldest of his, as Kol and Henrik call them, niblings. Freya met Lucien long before Finn met Sage, and none of his other siblings have children.

Rebekah is complaining about Enzo again – apparently, he's spending too much time with Damon, not enough with her – between bites of the veggie pizza he knows she hates.

"What's so good about Damon anyway? All I see when I look at him is an immature, childish baby."

Klaus mocks, "all I see is a baby, baby _bay-bee_."

She picks an olive off and throws it at him. He cringes and flinches away from the nasty thing.

Lucy does what he can only describe as a guffaw. Even Freya smiles.

"Shut up!" Rebekah mutely screeches (for once mindful of her surroundings), causing Klaus to roll his eyes.

Lucy backs him up. "Aunt Rebekah, you did use three words that all meant pretty much the same thing." She smiles innocently at her only aunt. She has the act down pat, blinking her eyes cutely behind her glasses and twirling a finger in her ponytail like your average Betty Cooper.

Rebekah sneers back, much gentler than when she does it to he and their brothers. Lucy can play innocent, but Rebekah made the game, and she'll always win. She turns to Freya, deciding it's better to go to the source. "Make your daughter uphold the Woman Code."

Freya just shrugs. "She's her own person, she can defend who she wants."

Klaus grins at his baby sister triumphantly.

She scowls. "Anyway, let's focus on someone else's love life. Nik? How's the girlfriend?"

"I think we all know I don't have a girlfriend." He taps his foot impatiently, knowing exactly what she's doing.

She opens her mouth to, no doubt, make fun of him. Rebekah loves him, he knows that, but she also loves making people feel stupid.

However, she doesn't get a word out before a loud, distressed noise comes from a few tables away. Lucy jumps, while Klaus immediately turns around.

There's a beautiful blonde girl at the table he thinks is the one where the scream came from. She's panting, waving her hands at her tongue.

Hsi first thought of someone getting hurt leaves for the realization that no, this girl is just eating the marketed "Most Spicy Chicken Wings EVER". She grabs the milk and gurgles it down. The girls' companion laughs at her. Lucy, behind him, giggles.

"And that, honey, is why you don't get into eating competitions," Freya teaches. Lucy nods sagely.

Klaus turns back around. Luckily, Rebekah has forgotten – or rather, _decided_ to forget – about what they were talking about, and starts a conversation about Lucy's grades.

He's paying attention, he really is, but the girl walks by, and he can't help himself.

He pulls out a stick of gum, and stands just as she comes by their table. "Would you like some gum after that spectacle?" It's not as nice as it should be, but she's looking him in the eyes, and he can barely get the words out, for some reason.

She laughs breathily and nods excitedly. "Gum would be perfection." Her tone isn't at all sarcastic. That isn't at all what he's thinking about though – no, he's much more concerned about the fact that she said his words. The words he'd always figured would be sarcastic. Huh.

"Um, excuse me if I'm incorrect but – "

"We are soulmates, right? You said my words." She smiles defiantly at him, clearly not having time for his hesitance. He nods, more than a little speechless. "Great! Great. I'm Caroline."

"Klaus."

Rebekah pops up over his shoulder. "And I'm Rebekah. You two are the most awkward people I've ever met. Nik, just ask her out on a date and put us all out of our misery." Klaus scowls at her, and starts to ask Caroline out but gets interrupted.

The girl behind Caroline raises an eyebrow. "You said your name is Klaus, right? So why'd she call you Nik?"

Rebekah rolls her eyes. "Because his name is Niklaus, and as his sister, I can call him whatever I want. Including embarrassing."

"Okay! Caroline, would you like to go out on a date? To get to know each other better?"

Caroline shares a look with her friend, then says, "let's go right now."

They smile at each other and walk out, leaving behind their companions. As soon as they're out from under the watchful eye of his family and her friend, the conversation comes easily.

Klaus is hooked already.


	2. Kings and Queens

**Summary:** Camille decides to text Caroline from Klaus' phone and break them up. It backfires, though...

 **Rating:** Mature/SFW

* * *

Camille said goodnight to Klaus and his siblings with a plan in mind.

Rebekah had shown her to her temporary room – she wasn't safe in the city for some reason they didn't tell her – but that wasn't where she was heading.

All upstairs was lined with spelled sage candles, though only a few were lit up. She sidestepped them for the room she wanted, at the end of the hall.

It was Klaus' room, and she'd only ever seen it once. With dark walls, a big bed, and many pieces of artwork, it screamed 'Klaus Mikaelson'.

She gently sat on the bed, wanting to savor being there. It was so intimate. She knew that no one else came in this room, but maybe he'd let her now that she'd come in. He was warming up to her, so it was a good possibility.

She looked around, hoping for more clues into his personality. She didn't find much, just paintings, letters, and, oddly, a pair of women's underwear. Camille stared at it for a long moment, noting how it seemed recent, almost like something she owned. She knew he'd never panty raided her…but what if he did? There would be no way she would know unless he said so. She shivered at the possibilities.

She set the lace down where it had been in the first place, in his drawer full of keepsakes, and moved back to the bed.

There was a phone on the bedside table. Curious, she picked it up, and opened it easily. None of the Mikaelsons had passcodes. Too technologically advanced, apparently.

There weren't any apps, nothing on Safari, no notes, nothing like that. She didn't check the texts, though, because surely there was a line she couldn't cross and that was it. She did, however, check the contacts.

There were only a few – Elijah, Katherine, Queen, Rebekah, and Stefan. She only recognized the names of his siblings, though the name Stefan did sound familiar. The other two names sent a flare of jealousy through her. Katherine? Queen? Really?

Completely disregarding her hesitancy, she clicks on the texting app.

There was no conversation with Katherine, though the rest showed up, all but one dated before she met him. She didn't go deeper into the conversations with Elijah, Rebekah, and Stefan, just looked at the last text. With Elijah, the last line said, _you are the most annoying person I've ever met._ With Rebekah, it said, _are you kidding me right now?! You let that strumpet into our home? URGH._ With Stefan, it said, _just fyi, Rebekah is out on a rampage and will eat whoever she feels like._

The most recent conversation was with Queen. The other conversations had been, in a way, cute. This one wasn't. The last line said, _I like the sound of you calling me your king._ Way more provocative, in her opinion.

She clicked on that conversation, and scrolled to the top of the most recent conversation.

 **Klaus:** Hello, love. How are you today?

 **Queen:** Hey! I'm fine, just finishing up some homework. Wbu?

 **Klaus:** Currently dealing with a Kol-induced headache.

 **Queen:** Is he still having trouble with his control?

 **Klaus:** Yes, unfortunately. We're all trying to help but he doesn't want us to. Maybe I can finally take you up on your offer…?

 **Queen:** I'd love to but not quite yet. Still have half of a semester before summer break. Can he hold out that long? Plus are we sure he'd even listen to me?

 **Klaus:** Most likely. And yes he'll listen to you, the only reason he doesn't listen to us is due to being either his older brothers, who want to sabotage him, or his younger sister, who wants to sabotage him. You're an outsider, he won't think you're trying anything.

 **Klaus:** I would also like to point out that last summer break you said you would come and then didn't. I had to go all the way to Richmond, love, and I could only stay so long. This time, you have to come here and stay more than a week.

 **Queen:** Aww were you lonely?

 **Queen:** And god it's not my fault that Damon pissed off those witches. Trust me, I'd much rather stay in bed with you than go pull Damon out of another one of his messes.

 **Klaus:** Caroline, of course I was lonely. My Queen left our bed to deal with an imbecile when she could have been doing any number of more pleasurable things.

 **Queen:** Did you have to deal with things on your own?

 **Klaus:** Yes

 **Queen:** Poor baby :(

 **Klaus:** It isn't funny, love. How many times have I left you hanging?

 **Queen:** Literally every single time Elena or the Salvatores almost caught us

 **Klaus:** Not true. I made up for it every time. You haven't made up for yours yet.

 **Queen:** My roommate isn't here. You wanna?

 **Klaus:** Call me, love, and we can get started.

There was a pause in the conversation, though Camille barely noticed it. She was way too concerned with the fact that the conversation between Klaus and Queen/Caroline had turned sexual very quickly.

 **Klaus:** I like the sound of you calling me your king.

The whole thing had taken place not even a week before. She'd never seen him use this phone before.

She set the phone down, shocked. When Klaus had been talking to this girl, Camille had been sure that he was interested in her.

Was she the other woman? Was Queen the other woman? Who was Klaus interested in, and who was he committed to?

Suddenly determined, she picked the phone up again, and scrolled as far up as she could.

The texts went from antagonizing to flirty. There was sexting, and heart to hearts. The texts went back to early 2012. She met him in late 2013, meaning…she was the other woman.

Oh my god. Could she handle being the other woman? Could she be okay with being in a relationship with a cheater? She wasn't sure.

She sat and stewed about it for a few minutes. Klaus wasn't someone she would have ever pinned as a cheater. He didn't have any of the signs, except the anger issues some cheaters had. Those came from other things, though. No matter what she thought, though, it was clear – he was cheating.

With a sigh, she decided what she had to do. She couldn't be with a cheater. She would tell this Queen about what was going on. And maybe…mark her territory while she's at it.

 **Klaus:** I need to tell you something

 **Klaus:** It's really important, you'll want to know

 **Queen:** Woah is everything okay?

 **Klaus:** I'm cheating on you

 **Queen:** Okay…who is this? Kol? Rebekah? Because haha great joke :|

 **Klaus:** I'm not kidding. I'm cheating on you. No joke

 **Queen:** It clearly _is_ a joke, because ever since the last time we saw we each other, he said we are 100% exclusive. If this was actually Klaus, you would know that. So who is this?

 **Klaus:** It is me love. I'm not lying. I fell in love with someone else. Stop texting me.

 **Queen:** I don't believe you

 **Klaus:** Well you should because I don't love you anymore

 **Klaus:** I never did

 **Queen:** Fine. But…I think I'll take a little trip over the long weekend and come to NOLA. And if I'm welcomed into the arms of a certain hybrid, then I'll find out who this is and rip your liver out

Camille scoffed. How could Klaus be interested in someone so…abrasive?

She heard a noise, probably just Kol getting a little too drunk, but it opened her eyes. She was running out of time before Klaus came to his bedroom, and she wasn't sure he would be too happy that she was snooping. It would take time for him to fully let her in, and now, he could, because Queen was going to be gone. She would be free to be with Klaus…forever.

She texted one more thing, then deleted all the messages, and set the phone back where it was.

 **Klaus:** I never loved you, honestly. You're a distraction and nothing more

Camille smiled and left the room.

An hour later, Klaus stumbled in, drunk in multiple ways. He was Caroline's, and with that came celibacy until they saw each other, but he couldn't give up blood. She didn't care, though. All his queen cared about was that he save his stamina for her and her only.

They hadn't spoken in days, both too busy with their individual lives. Maybe she would be interested in a little fun tonight.

He laid in bed, and grabbed the phone. It was old, and was now used only for Caroline to contact him. No one else texted or called the number.

There was a few texts from her. At first, he was happy to see them, but then he read them. His smile slipped off his face.

 **Queen:** Give up the ghost. I know you're lying.

 **Queen:** No answer? Seriously? Am I going to have to get on the first plane out?

 **Queen:** Klaus, answer me

The last thing he'd sent to her was a saucy comment after a lengthy…conversation. He didn't know what she was talking about.

 **Klaus:** What are you talking about, love?

 **Queen:** Who had your phone?

 **Klaus:** No one did. It's been in my room, far away from my siblings, all week. No one's had it except me

 **Queen:** So that was you?

Klaus, unsure of what she was referring to, texted, _…yes?_

 **Queen:** Oh my god.

 **Klaus:** What? What is it? What did I do?

There was a long pause, and Klaus felt it deep inside himself. Caroline never took so long to respond, unless she was asleep.

 **Queen:** "What did I do?"

 **Queen:** Did you ever love me, Klaus? Or was I really just your distraction the whole time? Was I only a way to get back at Stefan and Damon?

Klaus sat up, mouth agape. What on earth was she going on about?

 **Klaus:** To be perfectly honest, on your birthday, I came to your home with ulterior motives. But that changed the moment we started talking. And you know that I love you, Caroline. I've loved you since the ball.

 **Klaus:** What brought this on?

She sent several angry-faced emojis. In any other situation, he would have laughed, but none of this was funny to him.

 **Queen:** [images]

He clicked on the first one, and read as someone used his number to tell Caroline she meant nothing to him.

He sighed. It was something Kol would do in a rage, or Rebekah in a tantrum, maybe even Freya is she was feeling a little…influenced. The only problem was that all of his still-alive siblings were with him when the texts started. The only other people in the home were Davina, who had come to the living room midway through the texts, Lucien, who was suffering from a snapped neck, and…Camille.

He had a moment of clarity, and realized it could have been no one else. Camille was infatuated with him, and despite his every attempt to make her realize it was _not_ mutual, she hadn't quite caught on. And the words reeked of her.

 **Klaus:** Caroline, I promise, that was not me. That was a…friend of mine who I imagine will not be living much longer. She's delusional, love. Everything she said was a lie. Don't believe any of that, please, love.

 **Queen:** You said it was you, tho

 **Klaus:** I thought you were talking about the last time we spoke. I have none of those texts on my phone.

 **Queen:** So this bitch deleted the texts?

 **Queen:** Can I rip her throat out?

 **Klaus:** No, I quite like the idea of you coming here and us showing her just how much I love you. What do you think of that, love?

 **Queen:** I love that idea. I'll be there this weekend. But I think we need to do something in the meantime.

 **Klaus:** Oh? And what's that?

 **Queen:** Kings take care of their queens. Hop to it.

He smiled and hit the call button. There would be consequences, that was for sure, but at the moment, he had to reassure his love.

Camille would have to wait to feel his wrath. Though, he was sure, Caroline would be much worse than him.


	3. Kings and Queens 2

**Summary:** Sequel to the previous drabble.

 **Rating:** Teen/SFW.

"Listen, you inconsequential _thing_ , borrow my shoes again, and you'll think back on the days you had feet very fondly! "

Camille gulped and turned to where Klaus and Kol sat, paying the spat no mind. "Klaus! A little help?"

"What?" He looked up and saw Rebekah steaming. "I can't control her, Camille. Maybe ask Elijah?"

Elijah, of course, would _not_ be helping her, but did she know that? No, no she didn't.

She narrowed her eyes and fled Rebekah's ire, stomping to her room like a child. Rebekah laughed and flopped into the seat between her brothers. "Can you the believe the nerve of her? Snooping, texting, stealing?"

"All from her gracious hosts, too," Kol added with a snort. They thought it was funny, but Klaus was far from amused. Caroline was coming the next morning and she was so angry, he was scared for Camille's life. Though, it would be very sexy to see his queen rip someone's head off…. Unfortunately, she was too moral for that, so he doubted he would ever get to see something so delectable.

On the other hand, Caroline had been saying some very werewolf-like things since Camille's little game and he wasn't sure she wouldn't go off the deep end.

("You're _mine_." Gods, it sent shivers down his spine and made his wolf howl.)

When he'd told his siblings what had happened, Kol had found the thought and image as amusing as he found most things, and assured he would tape it. Rebekah had made interested noises and wondered aloud what Caroline would do if she came face to face with Tatia, or Aurora.

Freya had been more concerned about what she would do to Camille. He couldn't imagine her being happy about the human overstepping her bounds like she was.

"Are you going to tell our Carebear?" Kol questioned.

Klaus scowled at the nickname, though Caroline insisted she didn't mind it. "Tell her what? That our dear sister is throwing another tantrum?"

"No, he was thinking telling her about Camille acting like a leech, or worse, an in-law," Rebekah snapped.

"I don't want to her kill Camille, you know. Just…gently maim."

"And behead? My, I can picture it now, it would be better than all the carnage I left in my last one hundred waking years." Kol licked his lips, a far away look in his eyes.

Rebekah and Klaus both grimaced, but for different reasons. Klaus stood, holding his sketchbook tightly. "I'm not sure if I'll be telling her about Camille's other mistakes, but I will be telling her that you're acting like a sexual predator. Then you'll never get back to your once legendary restraint."

As he moved to his room, Kol responded, "please do! I hear she's into guys with accents and that happen to be mass murderers." Rebekah cackled, immediately going into a round of take-the-piss-out-of-Klaus. Kol responded in kind.

He sighed and tuned them out, hoping to make sure everything would be perfect for the next day.

* * *

The plane touched down smoothly – of course it did, Klaus made sure the pilot was safe – and it wasn't long before he was face to face with her once again.

She was just as beautiful as always, his very own model. The last time this happened, it was Klaus coming off a plane. Caroline had ran at him, a beaming smile on her face, and refused to stop touching him in some way until the next afternoon.

That time, they just moved into a hug, like they'd planned it. Klaus wasn't all that affectionate with most people, and hugs were out of the question with literally everyone, but Caroline was his exception.

After a long moment, she leaned up and pecked him on the lips. (He became so fond around her. The thousand year old killer in him hates it, but the boy he'd been reveled in it.) "Hi."

"Hello."

She moved them toward the car, speaking about college and the gang back home. Evidently, she'd decided not to talk about the Camille debacle yet. The vampire with him grabbed her belongings while they settled into the vehicle. His hand was on her thigh the whole ride home.

He spoke about his siblings, and the sights she would be seeing. It was nice, a small moment together before other people intruded (as they always did).

It all went to hell when they pulled into the driveway.

Caroline gripped his wrist before he could open the door. "Is she here?"

He listened, but somewhere in the house, a sage candle was burning. It was either Elijah or Freya's room – neither would be a surprise. Freya liked privacy, and Elijah liked pretending no one knew he was entertaining a certain doppleganger in his room.

He couldn't hear her anywhere, so he shook his head. "No."

"Okay, good. When we go in, can we go to your room first? I want to talk about something."

"Of course."

A few minutes later, they were in his room, on opposite sides of his bed. "Okay, so half the closet and three drawers?" She said to herself. "Bras, panties, socks. Okay…." She rummaged around in his drawers for a moment, then moved to her own.

"Did you want to talk about where you're putting your clothes, love?"

She gave him a look that meant she thought he was an idiot. "No, but I have to get this done now so that I don't have to later."

"You'll only be here four days."

"Four days of not living out of a suitcase. Four days of not having to wear your clothes because I can't find mine."

He pouted playfully. "I quite like you in my clothes."

"Of course you do, you're a caveman." She held a black, lacy dress up to her body. "Does this look good enough to slay this Camille bitch?"

He wasn't sure what slay meant in this case (was she going to behead Cami like Kol had said?), but nodded. The dress was expensive, but well worth it. It didn't show off too much, wasn't too short or too long, and it was both cute and sexy. "Caroline, trust me, you don't need a dress to slay." The word came out obviously clunky, but he stood by his use of it. He thought, at least.

She laughed at him. "Aww, thanks. Same goes to you, though the figure you cut in a suit…mmm."

He had missed their flirting. Texting just wasn't the same.

"Thank you. Now that you've got your dress, what was it you wanted to talk about?"

She stood in front of his mirror, still holding the dress. "You know how you say you like the chase? Well, I was thinking. I'm going to break up with you tonight," his whole body stiffened, undead heart stopping. He only lost the tension when she continued, "and make Camille think it's because you're a cheater. She'll be happy, thinking I'm out of the picture, and then we can make up in front of her? Like, we agree to be more faithful, act like we never fought in the first place. Act like the disgusting couple that everyone hates. Or maybe we should act like nothing ever happened?" She glanced back at him. "I just want her to be completely disoriented and caught off guard. What do you think?"

"I like your first idea. It's mean, giving her false hope." He smiled wickedly, thoughts and plans formulating in his mind. He'd forced himself not to think about it, wanting Caroline to get her revenge on her own, but it was easy to imagine hundreds of scenarios.

Caroline let out a little snigger. "That's what I was banking on. Now, you need to go invite her to dinner tonight. Everyone has to be there, and they need to be told now or they won't have enough time to get ready." She raised an eyebrow like, _get to it, Mikaelson_.

"Okay, okay. But what shall I do for food?"

"Taken care of," she said sweetly, walking him backwards to the door. At his look, she explained, "lots of free time plus being a control freak means I've got it taken care of. Expect the caterer here in an hour or so."

"Caterer? Love, it'll only be us and a few others."

"Yes, but take in consideration Kol's appetite and the fact that it's steak, and you need a lot. Oh! And tell them to look their best." She gave him a coy smile. "The queen of the French Quarter is here ready to bust the heads of anyone who looks like a ragamuffin."

He chuckled despite himself, pleased that she liked his nickname for her. "Of course, love." They shared a quick kiss, and then he was pushed out of his own room.

He swiftly invited everyone, foregoing the guests around the house. He would've asked Marcel if not for the fact that Caroline didn't seem to want to meet him.

Asking Camille was interesting.

 **Klaus:** Dinner tonight at the manor? We'll all be there, and I'll make sure Rebekah isn't too mean.

 **Camille:** Omg thanks for inviting me! I'll be there, work permitting. What time is it happening?

 **Klaus:** Six.

 **Camille:** I don't get off until 5:45 :( I won't be able to get there on time

 **Klaus:** Well then we'll wait for you.

 **Camille:** Wow thanks Klaus. What's the dress code?

 **Klaus:** I'd say a nice dress is in order. Just don't wear black.

Can't have someone attempt to show up Caroline.

 **Camille:** Alright. I'll see you later

 **Klaus:** See you later

He'd never thought about it before, but she was a bit of a perfectionist, wasn't she? Or was that just her need to please him?

No matter.

* * *

When Camille got there at 6:15, the only ones at the table were Klaus and Freya. Freya was sitting primly, twiddling her thumbs. Klaus' chair was tilted onto the back legs. They both looked bored.

She looked around. She moved to take the seat next to Klaus, but on both sides, there were placemats – one that said Rebekah, one that said guest. She found hers next to Elijah's and across from Freya after noting Marcel, Davina and Lucien didn't have seats. "Where is everybody?"

"Oh, I told them they had a few extra minutes before dinner. Guess they didn't hear you come in."

Freya smiled gently. "I think they're just ignoring us, honestly."

"Nonsense." He'd told them to be late, actually. Yanking Camille's chain was fun. "Elijah would never be so rude. Kol, yes, but not Elijah. And not our guest of honor, either." She was waiting on the stairs for a perfect entrance. Not that Camille knew any of that.

"Guest of honor?" Camille questioned, looking around shiftily. Caroline _had_ told her that she would be there that weekend, ready to tear out livers. She had reason to be scared.

"Yes," Klaus said simply.

Freya expanded, "she's a family friend. Well, a friend of Klaus' that I'm eager to meet. Apparently, she's pretty intimidating."

A creak came from the stairs, and the siblings could barely contain their smug smirks. Camille's eyes widened when Caroline stepped into the dining room. She stopped over Klaus' shoulder, though she barely acknowledged him. Any other situation and she would've kissed his cheek or squeezed his shoulder, but she couldn't if she wanted to pull this off.

"Talking about me?"

Freya stood gracefully and stuck a hand out. They'd met over the phone but never in person. "Freya Mikaelson. Nice to meet you."

"Caroline Forbes. You too." No harm in giving Camille the wrong idea, right? They'd be doing a lot of that, tonight. She turned to Camille, who watched her warily. "And you are?"

She stood shakily. "Camille O'Connell. I'm a family friend."

All three repressed a snort. Just before Camille got there, Rebekah had been screeching about the little wench stealing her shoes again.

"Nice to meet you."

Camille nodded in agreement and sat back down. Caroline took the spot next to Klaus. It was conveniently right next to Kol, who had added a part to their plan that she was excited to get started.

Freya immediately started talking to both blonde girls at the table, while Klaus watched. Caroline had told him not to sit her next to him, but he didn't listen. In lieu of that, he had to act extra like he was hiding something.

Camille watched them like a hawk.

Elijah, Rebekah, and Kol came down after a few minutes. Elijah pretended to be surprised. "Oh. I apologize, I didn't realize we were late."

They sat down quickly, and Kol swung an arm over onto Caroline's chair. No one said anything, though Klaus was very obviously glaring at Kol.

Dinner was awkward, but it was on purpose. Camille looked terribly uncomfortable, clearly wanting to be anywhere but there. Klaus tried to talk to Caroline a few times, but she ignored him for Kol, whose every word she hung onto.

Eventually he sat his utensils down heavily and said, "Caroline."

"What?" She glared at him.

"Kol? Seriously?" He raised a judgemental eyebrow.

"What about him?"

"He's the worst possible rebound in the whole world, sweetheart." Kol made a hurt noise, but was ignored.

The rest of the table watched the interaction, unable to look away. Camille was both intensely uncomfortable and overjoyed. Clearly, Caroline had broken up with Klaus. That meant he was free of all ties now, and she could snatch him up once Caroline left.

"I don't think so," Caroline said, "I think he's a great choice. He's never lied to me since we met, like someone at this table."

Kol grinned at his plate, but everyone else shifted appropriately.

"I didn't lie to you, love, I never have."

She opened her mouth to argue, but Elijah beat her to it. "Maybe you should take this somewhere else?" At the deadly looks they gave him, he added, "surely, this can be resolved with a discussion away from the table."

Caroline shook her head. "No, it can't. He cheated on me!"

The table hushed even more than it had been. Camille bit her lip.

"Yeah, that's right. He found some two-bit, cheap, _human_ who he only picked because she looks just like me." She didn't look at Camille, but really, who else could she have been talking about?

"Now, love, I think that's quite far enough." He employed a tone he didn't ever use on her. (He really hoped she wouldn't be too mad at him for that. He was acting, after all.) It was one of his dangerous ones that she pretended to hate.

"Is it?" She hissed. "What happened to forever, Klaus?"

Camille shrunk into her seat, feeling like she'd stepped on a landmine. The others watched her from the corners of their eyes.

Klaus made his face fall. "It had a minor setback, love. I'm willing to work on it if you are."

She stared at him. "Cute words won't make this right."

"Then what shall I do?"

Caroline gave a smile that reminded all of them of Klaus. "Devote yourself to me completely and wholly. And promise on your life that you won't cheat again."

"I never – " He stopped himself. "Of course. I swear on my life, if I am ever unfaithful to you, I shall burn in the pits of hell for the rest of eternity. You will be my last and only love, Caroline."

She smiled. "Good. I promise the same."

There was a moment of nonverbal communication, then they were gone.

Camille scoffed. "She seriously took him back? He deserves better than someone who's only going to let him continue his bad habits."

"Well that's mighty presumptive of you," Rebekah said, setting her wine glass down.

Camille looked affronted, but Kol interrupted her indignation. "You do realize they're in love, right? Like, disgustingly so. You never had a snowball's chance in hell of getting with Nik."

"And they both know he never cheated," Freya added, lightly circling her finger over the rim of her glass. Camille had said once it was intimidating, reminiscent of a big cat waiting to pounce.

"This was all an act, Camille. A way to teach you a lesson. You are our guest, a temporary one, and you overestimated your importance to us." Elijah stated. "I suggest going to bed now before Caroline comes back down here and causes bodily harm."

She gasped, and hurried to the stairs. Rebekah shouted after her, "return my shoes before dawn or you'll be at my mercy as well!"

She ran to her room and locked herself inside. She sat heavily on the bed, feeling terrified.

There was noise from next door. She looked at the wall she shared with Klaus' room, hoping beyond hope that it came from Freya's room instead, on the other side. The noise came again, a familiar sounding thump.

When she looked around, she saw there were no sage candles burning anywhere, nor could she smell any.

The thump came again, only this time, it was accompanied by a moan. " _Mine_."

Oh god, they were torturing her. She was going to have to listen to them all night, wasn't she? She tried to escape, but even when she unlocked the door, it wouldn't budge.

There was a shriek that turned into giggles, then moans from Klaus' room.

Camille sat on her bed again, wondering exactly what the hell she was thinking when she texted Caroline.


	4. Bound By Blood

**Summary:** Caroline has her first period as a married woman; Klaus is injured by a stupid, magical stake.

 **Rating:** Mature/SFW

* * *

In front of the fireplace was a bed. It wasn't very comfortable, just the earthy floor under two layers of blankets and furs and a pillow of feathers, but it was theirs.

At first, Niklaus and Caroline had been uncomfortable sharing a bed. Theirs wasn't a love match; they were barely friends. However, it had been a long few weeks, and they were much more comfortable together. They'd even _shared_ , if you get Niklaus' meaning, the bed several times, though Caroline was hesitant each time. He made sure she never regretted letting him so close.

He didn't want her to regret anything about their match.

So when they woke up one morning, and blood was on their bedspread, he didn't overreact. Father had always hated this about women, the bleeding. Most of the village didn't care; in fact, most saw it as women getting closer to nature, to the gods. But Father was different, and he felt it was undignified. All of his children knew when Mother was bleeding, because Father always made her lay with Rebekah in her small bed.

Mother had hated that treatment. Niklaus would not do that to his wife.

Instead, he gently shook her awake.

She curled deeper into him, clutching her stomach. "What is it, Niklaus?" She moaned.

He rubbed her back, and she purred, pressing even closer to him.

"My love, you are bleeding," he whispered into her ear. "Where did you put those things?"

"What things?" She asked, mostly asleep.

"The bits of wood with wool around them. You said they were for this, did you not?" When they'd moved into this home, she'd had several of those little things. She never named them, nor did she seem to want him to see them. She'd explained a few nights later that they were for her bleeding and they were to staunch the blood so that it didn't get on their clothes. He'd accepted it and not asked where they were, though now he wished he had.

"Ohhhhh." She blinked her eyes open. "They are by the water basin." He nodded and pulled away to fetch them. As soon as he was mostly out of their warm bed, she added, "please hurry."

"I will." He moved to where their clothes were cleaned and looked in the drawers. In one were farming tools, in another were sewing tools, and in the last one, closest to the floor, was a small pile of the things. "How many do you need?"

"One."

He grabbed the closest one and swiftly moved back to his beautiful wife. She had said she had bad stomach pains on her first and second day of bleeding, and sometimes even on the third. He didn't want her to be in pain, and thought maybe these things would ease it.

He moved under the covers, snuggling close again. She wasn't like Father had said a good wife was; she didn't let him enter her every night, didn't always please him first the times she did. Despite that, she wanted him close as soon as the sun had descended in the sky, and in the early morning light, she clung to him. That morning was no exception.

The only difference was, instead of kissing him as usual, she plucked the small tool from his hand. It went under their furs, and she did something with it he wasn't sure what was. Briefly he thought maybe she put the piece inside of her, using the wool to hold the blood, but the thought was embarrassing.

Still, once it was done, she pushed the blankets away. He very deliberately did not look down, but looking up was no better. (With such a perfect body, he had married a goddess, he was sure. He knew he didn't deserve her, but now that he had her, he wouldn't give her up.)

"We need to replace the blankets," she said. Together, they stripped the bed of the blankets, then she moved to get a new one. There were several on the loom, and two hanging off one of the pillars near the entrance.

He watched as she walked to them, frowning when he saw the blood on her legs. He had been told by several people that the bleeding, unlike in combat or injury, did not hurt. The only body parts that did hurt were the stomach, breasts, and, in his mother's case, feet. Caroline told him the same.

Still, there was so much blood, he couldn't help but think it had to hurt. They met in the middle of the home, as he was too concerned to wait. "Caroline, are you sure that the bleeding does not hurt?"

Her annoyance at being stopped softened. "Yes, Niklaus, I assure you. It's just a lot of blood, that's all. Now, I would like to lay down again before the day begins, so let's remake the bed." She pushed the blanket into his arms, clearly meaning that he was to be the one setting out the blanket.

He took it gracefully and did as told. Father would think him weak, submissive, but he didn't care. It made Caroline happy, and if she was happy, then so was he. (And later that day, when she cried and said her stomach hurt so bad she felt like she was _dying_ , he freaked out, completely went against everything Father said a man was, and stayed in bed with her all day, rubbing her stomach and telling stories that distracted her. It was surely the least he could do.)

One thousand years and broken curse later, they laid in their big king sized bed.

Again, there was blood on their blankets. Only this time, it was from Niklaus.

He'd been staked in his flank with some kind of special wood that wouldn't kill but would maim. He claimed it didn't hurt, but winced every time he moved. That stopped after she pulled the little bits out.

She dabbed at the wound with a cloth, not sure if the bleeding would stop any time soon. It had been nearly forty-five minutes, and it had yet to slow down.

"Does it still hurt?" He nodded, biting his lip with double fangs. Pain did that to him, every time. Usually, she loved his incisors, but in those moments, she wished they would stay inside his gums. "I'm sorry, my love."

"This is what I get for listening to you and sparing the girl," he grumbled.

She didn't deny it, even though she knew he also did it because Elijah and Stefan insisted. "Yes, yes, I know."

"Stop cooing at me," he demanded, though his tone was very different than it was when he spoke to his hybrids. "I'm not a child."

He was always grumpy in these moments, she reminded herself. He was her husband and she could not strike some gratitude into him, no matter how much she wanted to. "I know that. If you were, then you'd probably be asking me a million questions."

He snickered, remembering their human years together. Whether it be her period or combat wounds, they both bled quite a lot. Every time, he'd asked if she felt okay, if she needed anything, if his wound was closing up, or any other thing he could think up. The roles had reversed as the years went on, with her being the rambler now and him the silent one. Despite that, neither had forgotten what he was like when they were teenagers.

"On that note, has it slowed yet?"

She rolled her eyes at him, shaking her head. "Surely you can feel that it hasn't yet."

He shrugged with a wince. He'd also been shot in the shoulder with a bullet of regular wood; though it was long gone, he must've still felt phantom pain. "Caroline…."

"Don't whine," she berated. At the face he made, she softened. "What else should I do to make you feel better?"

He thought for a moment, then a wicked grin came to his face. "Kiss it better?"

She scoffed affectionately and did his bidding.


	5. Worth It

**Summary:** Sheila Bennett calls Elijah Mikaelson to her home, as she's found something interesting that the Original Hybrids will want to know.

 **Rating:** General/SFW.

* * *

Sheila Bennett paced nervously. She was wearing a hole in her patio, but it was unavoidable.

An Original was coming.

Sure, she'd called him there, but that made her no less nervous. She wasn't sure what she'd called him for was worth it. Plus, Bonnie was there with her, and the Original would surely use her as leverage if he didn't like what he heard.

"Grams, sit down. It's okay. Whoever this guy is, he can't be that bad," Bonnie cajoled.

Sheila shook her head. "You have no idea who you're talking about. We're meeting an Original. One of the first vampires in existence. He's extremely dangerous and if he doesn't like what I have to say, he'll kill us both."

"I think you confuse me for my siblings," a voice called.

Sheila turned around so quickly her hips popped.

There he was, standing just before the steps. In a full suit, he didn't look nearly as threatening as some said. But Sheila could feel his power like it was a tangible thing.

"You are Sheila Bennett, yes?" She nodded, struck mute by the sheer wrongness of his existence. Nature hated this man. "You summoned me."

Bonnie peeked around Sheila. "Hi, I'm Bonnie. Her granddaughter. She didn't really tell me who you are…?"

He looked amused. "I am Elijah, an Original vampire. I'm also very busy, so if we could move this along?"

Sheila snapped out of it. "Come, have a seat." She directed him to one of the chairs. She sat opposite him, Bonnie at her side. "I hope you don't mind, Bonnie is training right now. I thought it would be a good idea for her to watch. But if you'd rather she not…."

He put a hand up. "It's alright. But please, let's get to it. I have other business to attend to after this."

"Okay." She breathed out through her mouth. "I recently found a collection of family heirlooms. Many grimoires were part of it, but only one really stood out to me." She gingerly pulled out the book she was talking about. He took it carefully. "This grimoire belonged to a woman named Ayana."

"Ayana. She was a friend of my family's." He looked at the book, facial expression slightly surprised. He looked up. "If you want to keep this, then it is yours. It's your family history, not mine."

"Thank you," she said, though she never planned on giving it away. She leaned forward and opened it to a well worn page. "I wanted to show this page to you. It's a spell for temporary infertility that was used quite often. It was a drink, ingested during puberty, during the ovulation part of the menstrual cycle, if applicable. And it can be reversed. Do you see, here she says that it was often reversed on the last night of the wedding, before the couple had their private time."

Elijah read the spell quickly. "Yes, I do. I believe I was given this spell, now that I look at it." He spoke more to himself, "Mother probably didn't want us giving her grandchildren before marriage."

Bonnie grinned. Elijah did feel extremely powerful, but that comment made him seem really human.

"I do not understand why you are showing me this."

Sheila steeled herself. "May I ask a few personal questions?"

He stared for a moment. "Alright."

"Were you the only one of your siblings to get this spell?" He shook his head, remembering each of them getting the special drink. They'd gotten them at random, only once, leaving all the rest jealous. They'd all been given the drink that night, though. Her next question made him frown. "Do the hybrids want children?"

"I won't presume to know. Why are you asking this?"

"Because I can reverse this spell. I can take away the infertility from the wolf side and it would be possible for them to have children."

Elijah eyed her. Niklaus and Caroline already had Isaac, who was partly the pride and joy of the family, but they'd always wanted more.

"Explain," he finally said.

"I can make the reverse of this spell quickly and easily. They will ingest it, then wait a little while, and they should be fertile again. That is, if she was given this spell?"

Elijah shrugged. "I don't know if she did or not. Let's assume she did for now. I have a few questions before this goes anywhere."

"Go ahead."

"How long is a little while?"

Sheila pointed to a line in grimoire. "A few days, a week at most."

"Why are you doing this?"

"I was told by the spirits that a hybrid can only live if it is natural. I've heard stories of the hybrids he attempted to make. They could not live because they were against the balance of nature. But if they make a hybrid like this, then it will be allowed to live. I am a servant to nature, and She says this is something that can happen without bloodshed."

Elijah looked both contemplative and defensive. "Why, though? Why are you willing to risk yourself and get this news to them?"

She looked away for a moment. Bonnie watched avidly. "I want your help finding someone. It should be easy, but she is blocking me. You won't be putting yourself or your family in danger, I promise you."

"I will get back to you. For now, do not tell anyone about this, do you understand?" She nodded. "Do you have a number I could call you on?"

"Yes, I do. I'll go write it down." Sheila was hesitant to leave Bonnie with him, but Elijah had been calm and peaceful, so she hoped he would do anything and went inside.

Bonnie asked, "so…Original vampire? What does that mean, exactly? If you don't mind my asking, I mean."

"It means that my siblings and I were turned into the very first vampires after the death of my youngest brother. Also turned were my father, sister-in-law, and nephew. All vampires in existence come from us."

"Woah. What did she mean by hybrid?"

Elijah smiled at her curiousity. "Hybrid in this case means part vampire, part werewolf. Both my brother, his wife, and their son are hybrids, the only ones alive. My brother has made attempts to make more, but they always die."

Bonnie frowned. "That's sad. But, do you think he'll go for it? If he wants more hybrids, this might be the only way."

She was overstepping her bounds, just a little, but he allowed it. "I'm not sure. I'm going to ask him and return his answer to you two."

"Okay," she said as Sheila came back out. Elijah and Bonnie both stood.

She handed a piece of paper to Elijah. "My number and Bonnie's are on there. If you can't reach me, just call her."

"I will. Thank you, Ms. Bennett."

And then he was gone.

He was in Richmond not long after, shut away in his hotel room. He loosened his tie and steeled himself.

"Caroline? Great news."

* * *

When Isaac was born, the whole family had rejoiced. The last addition had been Henrik, some thirteen years before.

Isaac spent every waking moment with his family. His aunt and uncles adored him, his maternal grandparents doted on him, and his parents, most of all, loved him more than anything else in the whole world.

He'd been there, that night. He'd been in his father's arms, and he'd been killed by his step-grandfather. He'd barely been seven months old, not quite able to stand up without assistance. He'd had two front teeth on the top and bottom, and he'd never known a world of violence.

But then, he was killed.

Unlike his parents, who drank the blood because they were forced, he did it because he was thirsty. And unlike his parents, who killed after turning, he never did.

Isaac was a hybrid in name only, a vampire in reality. He'd never killed. He didn't even have fangs to kill with. His parents, however, had turned into wolves that fateful night and killed Esther when she later plotted to bind their natures.

Mikael went on a rampage, and the Mikaelsons had been running ever since.

There had been only two additions since – the emergence of their sister, Freya, and her son.

It was the 1400's, and she found them, heavily pregnant and being chased by their aunt. She'd proven herself quickly, and they'd killed Dahlia with no remorse.

Freya had given birth to her son, Théo, soon after. He'd never been adept at magic, and Freya had him turned at a young age. ("Better companion for Isaac than any of the rest of us," Kol had drawled, the only one who'd agreed with her actions. He'd been the one to turn the boy.)

There had been no one else, unless you counted the many people Elijah and his single siblings had claimed to love.

That didn't mean they didn't want more. As children, they'd envisioned their lives being aunt and uncles to many little Mikaelsons, spread between the six of them evenly. It wasn't a lost dream, or at least, Elijah thought not. He hoped not.

* * *

Niklaus and Caroline, Isaac and Théo accompanying them as was usual, came to town a few days later. Elijah had already bought a property and was having it renovated. Hotels were not an option with two little boys who liked to throw their bottles of blood (a baby bottle for Isaac, a water bottle for Théo) at the walls. Isaac only did it when he was excited, but Théo would do it if he was excited, mad, or being defiant.

It was because of that that Elijah's nephews did not live in hotels, ever.

He told this to Bonnie, who found it all amusing. Sheila smiled, but she was too nervous to laugh. The hybrids of the Originals were surrounded by rumors, and no one knew the truth. Elijah had told them little tidbits here and there in the hopes he could ease their fears, but no luck.

When Niklaus and Caroline entered the clearing, Sheila tensed. Bonnie stood away from them, behind them, so Elijah wasn't sure how she reacted.

They greeted Sheila shortly but not unkindly.

"Brother," Caroline said, moving to him. She pressed a kiss to his cheek and allowed him to do the same before she stepped back. Isaac was in a sling on her chest, excitedly kicking his feet.

"Hi! Hi!" Isaac screeched happily.

"Caroline. Isaac." His tone was as affectionate as it got.

"Not going to say hello to me?" Niklaus questioned. Théo ran at him and jumped up and down until Elijah picked the little boy up. He hadn't seen his nephews in months.

"Hello, brother," Elijah said a little exaggeratedly. To Théo, he booped his nose and said, "hello, darling. How have you been?"

Théo chattered, "we got to see Unca Kol! He showed me the magic he learned and then he made me a magic puppy! It's soooooo cute, Unca Lijah! But Mama said no." He pouted.

Caroline cut in, "she said no because it tried to bite you, baby. Kol has it and he's training it, so next time you see him, you'll get to see your puppy again."

"What did you name it?" Elijah questioned, seeing that Théo was unhappy with that explanation. His nephew's whole face lit up at the question.

"Théa!" He giggled.

"He's turning into an egomaniac," Niklaus joked. Isaac giggled, though he was too young to understand what they were saying. At his age, he was too young to be talking or comprehending them, but his thousand years had aided him in the former. All he could say was 'hi', 'mama', and 'papa'.

"You're one to talk," Caroline and Elijah said at the same time. Théo found it hilarious and threw his head back in a laugh.

He righted himself quickly, and turned in Elijah's hold, holding onto his shoulder to keep his balance. "Who's that?"

Elijah looked back. "That's Bonnie. She's a friend. We have to do a spell, so she'll be watching you. It won't be very long at all, and Isaac will be with you."

Niklaus and Caroline eyed him warily. "Elijah, are you sure she's safe?"

"Yes. She can't hurt the boys, I promise you. And as I said, this won't take long at all. Trust me," he implored.

After a long moment, Niklaus took Isaac from Caroline and Théo from Elijah and walked them to the younger witch. "If any harm comes to either of them," he threatened, "you will not live to see another day."

Then he moved back to his family and the older witch. Bonnie stared after him, then sat to play with the little boys.

She handed them both cups of the special drink. "It won't take long before the infertility wears off. Though I wouldn't expect to start reproducing right away. Your reproductive bits have been frozen for a very long time," Sheila advised.

They nodded and downed the drink. It tasted just the same as they remembered.

"So, we should be back in business in, oh, the next month?" Klaus asked, licking the remnants off his lips.

"Yes, good luck," Sheila said with a small smile. The spirits were happy with her.

"Now, who was it you needed to find?" Elijah asked, watching his brother and sister-in-law closely. They seemed indifferent, but when he'd told them, they'd been overjoyed. They hid it well, though.

Sheila lowered her voice when she said, "Abby Bennett. She's blocking me, I can't find her."

They shared a look. "Very well. Expect an update soon."

She thanked them and watched them leave. It was definitely worth it, she thought.


	6. Darling

**Summary:** Klaus gets killed by a vampire named Katherine. Luckily, Caroline is there to save him.

 **Rating:** Teen/SFW

* * *

It happens on one of those awful nights where Mother and Rebekah and Elijah insist they act like a family. They drag Freya from her room, where she sits remembering the baby she lost, and they take Klaus from his studio, where he draws the pain of being the bastard away from his heart. They take Kol from the TV, where he ignores everyone and everything, and they take Finn and Henrik from their places at the table, where they attempt to be normal, and they take them out to dinner. **  
**

Mikael and Esther – Father and Mother – sit at one end of the table, and Freya and Klaus sit at the other. Klaus has always been a disappointment to them, but Freya is one only now, after she tried to kill herself and only succeeded in doing half the job. She'd woken up and Father told her she should have died, too.

Klaus has always hated Father, but none more so than in that moment.

Still, he finds himself out at the Grill on those nights, pointedly not talking to Freya and only barely responding to Henrik and Rebekah, who sit next to him and Freya respectively. Kol, squeezed in between Rebekah and Elijah, is too far away to talk to him, and Finn is sitting too close to Father to speak to Mother, so it's always a quiet affair.

And it is, every other Thursday night, until she comes into town. Well, shes. Because there's two – a girl who could be Elena Gilbert's twin, and the most beautiful girl Klaus has ever seen.

It's that particular night that the beautiful girl has gotten him a drink, one that Matt serves him cautiously. It tastes weird, thick and metally, but he drinks it to remove himself from Rebekah and Kol's bickering.

It's that particular night that, as they're walking back to their cars, the twin mows him down, bites into his neck, and kills him.

* * *

He wakes up later – he doesn't know much time has passed – with a gasp. His whole body is suddenly awake, and he doesn't know why.

The beauty is suddenly in front of him. "Shh, calm down. You're okay, you're safe." Her hands press on his chest, but he bucks up anyway. She doesn't budge, despite his efforts. "It's okay, darling, I won't hurt you. Just calm down."

Her eyes are soft and comforting. His breathing slows down enough that he isn't hyperventilating.

"What the fuck is going on?" He demands. He can remember dying, the twin's teeth sinking into his carotid artery and spraying blood everywhere.

"You were killed," she says, petting him absently.

"How am I alive?" He questions, voice wobbling. (It's mostly fear, confusion, and sadness, but it's also a tiny bit lust. He has no idea where he is, or who she is, or anything, but her hands on his shoulders are supremely distracting.)

She looks him in the eyes. "Do you believe in vampires?" He scoffs, but she steamrolls over his denials. Her face changes, eyes turning black and red, black veins showing under them.

He gasps again, backing away from her, terrified.

Her face changes back, and she reaches out again. He freezes, sure that she was going to eat him like the twin. Instead, she just puts her hands on his arms. "Calm down. I'm not going to hurt you. You need to understand, darling, I am trying to help you. If you don't drink blood, then you will die. You _can't_ die," she says, practically swearing an oath with her last sentence. "I simply won't allow it, darling."

He wants to ask why not, wants to ask why him, wants to ask a lot of things. Instead, he thinks about dying. He doesn't like his life, hates his circumstances, but he doesn't want to die. He's only seventeen. He isn't ready.

He asks, "what happened?"

"A woman named Katherine killed you to get back at me. I gave you my blood, though, and when someone drinks vampire blood, they can heal. If they die, they get turned. If they get turned, they have to drink human blood if they want to complete the transition," she explains. He cringes and grimaces the whole time, disgusted at the thought of drinking blood. He's thirsty, though, and it sounds almost…good.

Her eyes widen. "I forgot to say, my name is Caroline. What's yours?"

He wants to snap, you already know my name, because he's sure she does. She seems to know him, feels comfortable touching him, keeps calling him darling. If she doesn't know his name, he'll eat his canvas. She's a vampire, though – he's terrified about the consequences of scaring her. Even if she says she won't hurt him. "Klaus. Klaus Mikaelson."

She nods, unsurprised. "Well, Klaus, let's go find something for you to eat, and I'll answer whatever questions you have." She lets go of him, but keeps a hand in his space, palm up and fingers slightly curled.

It takes him no time at all to grab her hand and pull himself to his feet. "Let's go. I'm thirsty."


	7. Who D'ya Think You're Kidding?

**Summary:** Caroline moves into Klaus' apartment and brings up old feelings from high school. Title from Hercules' "I Won't Say (I'm In Love)"

 **Rating:** Mature/NSFW

* * *

In eleventh grade, Klaus' crush on Caroline was the worst kept secret in the whole school. They were friends through the fact that they shared a locker (same one from freshman and sophomore year) and often were partners in class. He did lots of cute things and said lots of suggestive things.

But Caroline just didn't feel the same about him as he felt about her.

So she confronted him about it.

"I'm too smart to be seduced by you."

"Well, that's what I like about you."

She told him they weren't going to be dating any time soon if ever, and _let's just stay friends, 'kay?_ He'd agreed, and years later, junior year of college, they were still were.

So when Caroline got fed up with her building and asked to move into Klaus' apartment, he agreed.

The only problem was that he kept doing cute things. She was falling for him, and she didn't know what to do about it.

* * *

The first time she noticed anything was the second day. She was unpacking her DVD and CD collection (adding to Klaus' already impressive assortment).

Just as she was putting the Harry Potter series onto the shelf, her hair tie snapped and all of her hair fell around her shoulders. It was summer, hot as hell, and she was tired and sweaty from unpacking all day.

So she exclaimed, "really?" She made her tone as sarcastic and biting as she could.

Klaus' head popped around the doorway that lead into the kitchen. "Something wrong?"

"My hair tie just broke and I don't have any other ones," she complained.

"Come on, don't look so down. Have mine." He pulled one off his wrist and waved it in the air.

"Why do _you_ have one?" She asked as she snatched it. "Thanks."

"No problem. I have one because I'm prepared for anything at this point." Between her and his sisters, he would have to be.

"Oh…okay." She smiled at him and they parted ways to what they were doing before, forgetting the encounter.

* * *

There were a few moments after that one, similarly forgotten.

Klaus cooked dinner, and rubbed her feet, and helped her with homework. Each little thing made her smile and wonder how she could repay him.

He wasn't acting like he had in high school – she hadn't caught him sketching her, he wasn't staring at her, and he didn't stutter. He wasn't walking the line between tolerable and stalker.

But he was acting like they were together, and she just didn't understand why. He must've gotten over his crush at some point, right?

She wasn't sure, and it scared her.

* * *

Over a long weekend a month and a half after she moved in, they had a horror movie marathon. It was a tradition of theirs born from years of tormenting each other.

She insisted that some lights be kept on (even though the shadows would be freak her out.) It had gotten colder as September moved into October, so she also insisted on blankets. They sat close but not touching and she was determined to keep it that way.

Except, she hated jumpscares and every movie had one. She ended up practically in his lap, clutching his shirt and hiding her eyes. He wasn't laughing at her – he was just as scared. He'd always tensed up during horror movies, hating the feelings the music and suspense gave him. (She'd always had an inkling that he watched them with her to get her close. Why else would he watch them, when they scared him so much?)

"Is it gone?" She whispered. He never looked away, meaning she could count on him to not let her miss anything important.

"Yes," he whispered back. She peeked over the blanket and saw it was just some hallway, bathed in green light.

They watched for a few more minutes until a loud clang onscreen led to a face on the screen, mouth open in a wide, disgusting grin and crazy eyes on full display. Caroline screamed and pulled the blanket over both their heads.

"I hate horror movies," she groaned over the sound of someone being eaten.

"Honestly why are we even watching them," he agreed. His arm was around her waist, making sure she didn't fall, and their faces were relatively close. It was too dark to tell, but she thought he was staring at her.

She giggled. "The first time was because I triple dog dared you, and you couldn't just say no."

"You ended up punching me, remember that?" He laughed. "I had to wear a bag of frozen peas for almost the whole day."

"Sorry," she said, falling onto his chest tiredly. All of the jumping, screaming, and even scared-crying had exhausted her.

He relaxed, all tension leaving him. "Think we should turn this off and go to bed?"

Caroline asked shyly, "can we stay out here? I don't want to be alone, or I'll never get any sleep."

He sighed but nodded. "Okay. Let me turn something else on real quick, though. What do we have that's not scary?"

She knew exactly what they could turn on, but it was an embarrassing relic of her childhood. After a moment of indecision, she spoke. She trusted him not to make fun of her. She trusted him with a lot of things.

"…I brought _Where's Gary?_ from home."

"The Spongebob movie?" She nodded sheepishly. He laughed. "Alright then." He pulled the blanket off, and both were grateful that the screen was now some field where the main girl was crying and covered in blood. There was no monster, no face, and nothing scary except the girl's crying face. (Caroline hated how Klaus' eyes wandered over the girl's' body, and she was feeling petty. Sue her.)

He stood up and stretched, and instantly she wished he would come back. The apartment was shadowy, and the blanket cold without him. He searched for a moment, then quickly changed the DVDs. The screen went from black to yellow, lighting up the room.

He moved back to the couch and asked, "how do you want to do this?" There was only the couch and the old man chair that didn't recline.

"We can share," she said, hoping she wasn't going to do something she would regret. They were in sleep clothes (him a tee and boxer briefs, her in a tank and shorts, no bra in sight), and it would be way too easy to relive the horror stories she'd heard of friends sharing the bed. Or couch, in this case.

He raised an eyebrow but climbed in behind her. It was big enough to fit them both but small enough that they had to be moulded to each other like they were one. His arm went around her waist and held on tightly.

They laid there for a while, talking about the movies they'd seen. She was falling asleep pretty quickly though.

"You're ridiculously comfortable," she mumbled, snuggling backward. She didn't even think about what her body was doing – it had a mind of it's own.

He said something back, but she was sleeping before it could register.

* * *

Finals came and exhausted both of them.

They barely saw each other, just in passing. Caroline would come home to shower and eat, then go back to the library. Klaus was camped out at the table, and they'd only really waved to each other.

They'd gone summers without talking before, but it felt different that time. They'd been talking every day, whenever they both had free time, and now they weren't.

She made it her job to talk to him, after that. Even if she didn't really have time.

She refused to think about why, exactly, she had hated going so long not talking.

* * *

The holidays came quick after that. Thanksgiving, they spent apart with their respective families. Caroline's mom had stayed local, while only Elijah and Rebekah had stayed after the Mikaelson family moved to New Orleans.

But Christmas, they spent together. They'd gotten each other presents before, but always small ones.

That year was not the case.

Their tree had broken on the 22nd, leaving them without one, and all the big parts of the meal had spoiled.

It was shaping up to be a terrible Christmas. Caroline was on the verge on a mental breakdown, feeling the stress pile up more and more. She wanted a perfect Christmas, wanted everything to go to plan. (And maybe put up a mistletoe. But not for her and Klaus. Nope.)

Klaus made it all better, though. He told her they didn't need to do things traditionally and paid for a nice meal of pizza.

When it came for exchanging presents, he'd gotten her a beautiful infinity bracelet and a pair of earring she'd seen his grandmother wear before she passed. (Which was a big deal considering his grandmother had been a rich, old-fashioned Norse lady who'd loved Caroline to bits.)

She'd gotten him a watch he'd been asking for, a set of Japanese Tombow Mono drawing pencils, and a Montblanc sketchbook (thankfully for sale). She'd wanted to get him things that were special, that he'd use. (And maybe she wanted him to sketch her, even though when he had in high school, she hadn't liked it.)

He'd been so happy, he'd immediately started sketching and exaggeratedly checking the time every ten minutes.

She'd watched him do it and bugged him about what he was drawing for hours, heart swelling.

* * *

In January, Klaus caught Caroline doing something she'd successfully hidden from him for years.

She was dancing, sliding around in knee high socks, and loudly singing '500 Miles'. All while trying to do the dishes.

She was only alerted to his presence when he slid up next to her and started drying. There was a strict no-shoes rule, so his sliding wasn't the surprise. The surprise was that he was there at all. He was supposed to be out on a blind date (one that she'd helped him get ready for with a heavy heart and a lump in her throat that she was pretending weren't there).

"Oh my god!" He quirked his lips, not bothered by her loud exclamation. She turned the music down so she could question him. "What are you doing here?"

"She wasn't interested in me, so we left. What happened to you going out for the night?" He put a dish in the washer, then started on a new one.

She shrugged, also continuing her task. "Everyone cancelled. Bonnie is sick, Elena is fighting with Stefan and Damon _again_ , and Matt had to work last minute. Wouldn't have been fun going out by myself."

"Well, there's still time if you want to get dressed."

She set the bowl down with a big smile on her face. "Really?" He was notorious for never going out to clubs. Tonight was her lucky night, if he was being serious.

"Really."

"Oh my god, okay, hold on. I'll be right down," she shrieked and ran upstairs. As she was putting on her tightest dress, a small part of her brain told her she was going to have Klaus drooling before the night was over.

She forced it to shut up.

* * *

When they came home that night, they were both drunk. Shoes were kicked off quickly, and the door accidentally slammed shut.

He stumbled into her just inside the doorway. "Sorry."

She waved a hand. He laughed and moved to the kitchen. She followed after him, knowing if she didn't drink some water, she'd hate herself in the morning.

He was leaning up against the counter when she finally got there. They really had too many freaking pieces of furniture for her to bump into.

She smiled at him and swayed her hips as she got a water bottle. She'd been teasing him all night.

She got a few gulps before he growled and moved closer. He pressed her up against the empty sink, arms on either side of her body. She set her bottle down, and rested her hands on his shoulders. "Are we doing a heart to heart?" She giggled.

He shook his head. Instead of saying anything, he leaned closer and kissed her. She gasped, and his tongue took advantage, sweeping into her mouth.

Their first kiss had been during a game of spin the bottle in ninth grade. There had been no tongue – it had barely been a peck, and no effort on either side. Not the case for this kiss. She pulled his whole body so that it pressed right up against hers, and her fingers went to his hair. His arms wound around her waist, and he dominated the kiss.

After a long time, they broke for air. He whispered, "I love you."

And the record in her brain scratched. She pushed him away before he could kiss her again. He licked his lips but didn't try anything.

"We're drunk, Klaus, we can't…." She looked at him, feeling frantic.

"Oh. Oh, yeah. Okay." He dragged a hand through his hair and threw a thumb over his shoulder. "I'm gonna go to bed then. We have all the time in the world to do this but I gotta – "

" _Okay_ , goodnight." If she heard the end of that sentence, she was going to jump his bones.

"Night, love."

As soon as he was gone, she downed the rest of the bottle and fled to her room.

* * *

The next morning, it was revealed he remembered nothing except where they went and the first few rounds.

She breathed a sigh of relief and spent the whole day ignoring him. Every time he asked why, she deflected.

It went on like that for a few days before she could look him in the eye again without picturing all the filthy thoughts she had when she went to bed that night. He'd really opened her eyes to what she was doing. Living with the guy she was insanely attracted to, for one, and fantasizing about said guy (who was right next door), for two.

It made her back way off, try to get her head on straight.

Klaus took what he could get over those few days. So when Caroline finally opened back up, he pounced.

He was teasing her all morning, but she didn't have it in her to give her usual snarky comments.

Eventually, he asked, "okay, what's wrong? You ignored me for days and now you aren't sassing me back. What happened?"

"It's nothing, Klaus. I'm just tired." _And falling in love with you_ , she didn't say.

She tried to walk away, but he moved swiftly and blocked her path. He held her upper arms to keep her from going anywhere, like she could get past him even if she wanted. "Caroline, something happened. Just tell me. Please."

Caroline shook her head. She hated when he said please. He said it so rarely, it always meant he really wanted something when he did. She could never resist his please and he knew that. But if she told him, then he'd freak out, shut down, and push her away. She'd rather deal with awkwardness than not having him at all.

"Did someone do something to you?" She shrugged, not wanting to lie. He had done something to her – he'd kissed her and made her face the feelings she wanted to ignore. "Who do I have to punch?" He demanded.

"No one! I'm just tired, okay?" She pried his fingers off and pushed past him. He let her, though she could tell he wasn't happy with her answer.

"I'll find out if it was one of the Salvatores or Enzo. Or Tyler!"

She turned around, pissed. "Don't bother. It was you!" Then she locked herself away in her room and refused to answer his questions.

Hours later, she went downstairs, hungry. Klaus was in the kitchen, standing at the spot where they'd kissed. He watched her as she grabbed a granola bar and leaned on the opposite side.

They were silent for a while, thinking. Caroline hated it. She hated that it was so awkward, but what was she supposed to do? Tell Klaus that he'd kissed her and practically ruined her for any other guy? Tell Klaus that she was mostly in love with him and that every one of her thoughts had something to do with him? Hell no.

Eventually, he asked, "did I tell you I love you?" She nodded. "And I kissed you." She nodded. "Caroline, I am so sorry. No wonder you didn't tell me. I forced myself on you, I forced my feelings on you _again_ , and – "

"Wait, wait. What do you mean? You didn't force your feelings on me. I kissed you back."

"Because you felt forced to!" He grit his teeth, making her wince. It was one of her least favorite things about him.

She rubbed her temples. "Klaus, listen to me. I didn't tell you because you couldn't remember and I didn't want to make things awkward when you realized I kissed back." She looked him in the eyes, overwhelmed with nerves. "I like you. Actually, I really like you. I knew you'd act all weird if you found out, which is exactly what's happening. That's why I didn't say anything."

He scowled. "You don't have to lie, Caroline. I know you don't like me like that. I don't need you to spare my feelings by lying to me."

She crossed her arms. "I'm not lying to you about anything. I _do_ like you. I _did_ kiss back, because I wanted to. And I ignored you for three days because I didn't want it to get weird, not because I'm scared of you sticking your tongue down my throat or whatever."

He stared at her. She stared back.

After a while, she broke. "So? Do you still like me back?"

He let out a breathy chuckle, like he just couldn't believe her. Basically, their typical situation. "Yes."

They smiled at each other, all the tension leaving the air. Caroline remarked to herself, it was literally a breath of fresh air.

She moved towards him, determined to make things as right as she could. She wrapped her arms around his middle, and sighed into his chest. His arms found their places (they were curled up together so often, she knew exactly where he would rest them now), and they stood there, content, for a while.

* * *

Not too long after, Caroline pulled Klaus in between her bare legs and gently bit his bottom lip. She was trying to be sexy, but she wasn't sure how she managed it after an all-nighter.

He laughed, pulling away slightly. His hair was in disarray and stuck up in all directions, but he'd never looked hotter to her. Though she was unsure about her own appearance, his was, without a doubt, one hundred percent sex god.

Not that he would get to know that. His ego didn't need inflating after round three last night. Still, she was getting hot just looking at him. Her hand snuck down, under the blanket, not quite touching him where he wanted.

He shifted, trying to get her hand in the position he longed for. When he spoke, though, he told a different story. "Caroline, we need to sleep. We'll miss class."

She smiled at him, trying for coy. Her hand above the blankets rubbed from his pectoral to his shoulder blade. He shuddered. "One class each isn't that bad. We can just get notes from someone."

Her fingers wrapped around him, causing him to moan sexily. She didn't have that much experience, truth be told, but it was still the hottest sound in the whole world. "Maybe you're right…."

An hour later, they weren't quite asleep yet. They were curled under the blankets, underwear on to make sure they got their required rest. (Caroline insisted. If she had access, she would do something about it, and Klaus was the same way. If they didn't, they'd never sleep again.)

"Mm, you're warm," she told him, snuggling into his chest. Her toes were pressed between his calves and her fingers were tucked under her head and chin. He was wrapped around her like an octopus, fingers carding through her hair.

"Thank you," he whispered back, content but alert. His smile turned wicked. "You're very warm, too. And wet." He pulled her closer, to whisper in her ear, "and inviting, too." His last words oozed with a double entendre.

She squealed, pushing him away. She was exhausted, though, so he didn't go very far. They both ended up laughing quietly.

They were quiet for a while, just laying together and soaking up the closeness. Rebekah had caught wind of their confessions, and was around 24/7 trying to get dirt on them.

She blinked and yawned, curling up a little more.

He grinned. "Are you part cat?"

"Shuddup," she said back, lightly swatting at his arm. Her aim was wonky with her almost-sleeping state, but he didn't comment.

Instead, he said to her sleeping form, "I'm going to marry you someday, you half-cat."

(Spoiler alert: he did.)


	8. First Christmas

**Summary:** Prompt from anon that said "Hahaha, sorry, I didn't see that you replied to my ask. I am a sucker for AH married Klaroline shenanigans, like maybe first big newlyweds fight? Or people hitting on Klaus/Caroline and the other being jealous/surprised they still get hit on since they're clearly married and all, or maybe they're first ever holiday as a married couple? I honestly will be ecstatic with w.e you come up with. Don't feel pressured to do any one of these. Thanks"

 **Rating:** General/SFW

* * *

When the plane landed, Caroline's first thought wasn't how they were going to deal with Mikael, but their dogs.

Last year, she'd only been a girlfriend and Mikael had been civil due to his thinking she was temporary. Now that she and Klaus were married, any veneer of niceness would be gone. It had been gnawing at her for weeks.

But, in that moment, she didn't care or even think about her evil step-father-in-law. All she was thinking about was her poor, furry babies stuck in cages for twelve hours.

They were golden retrievers she'd named Jacques and Fleur to fit their Parisian surroundings. Jacques was three years old, Fleur two and a half, and they were both so energetic that she felt her worry for them was justified.

Klaus had to practically run after her, dragging their bags behind him.

It was a long process, but eventually, they were in a rental car heading to the Mikaelson home in New Orleans.

"Okay, so when we get there, the party will be just starting, and family friends will be there. Mikael won't be mean, but once everyone leaves, then we'll have to worry," Klaus went over again.

"I got it. A few hours of him being civil, then a few days of him being evil until we head to Mystic Falls." She nodded to herself, watching the road.

They talked the whole hour drive to the house, though they didn't talk about Mikael again. Mostly just about their own house, what they were hoping to get for Christmas, and how they still had to send out thank you cards for their wedding gifts.

There was only a quick stop once they got to the French Quarter, to change into their party attire.

When they pull in, the party is in full-swing, just like he said. Last year, they'd gotten in a day later and got to miss this.

Not that year, though.

They let Jacques and Fleur out to stretch, then put them back in their cages. "Just wait until the party's over," Caroline whispered to them, feeling bad for cooping them up all day.

"They'll be okay, love," Klaus assured her.

She fretted for another moment, then allowed him to drag her to the doors.

The home was decorated beautifully like always, and Caroline made sure to tell both Esther and Rebekah that she loved it. His other siblings all congratulated them again but didn't get the small talk act like his mother and sister.

Mikael approached them as they stood chatting, and outright ignored Klaus. He clenched his fist behind her back and ignored him back. "Caroline," Mikael said. "Nice of you to make it." Like she would miss Christmas with his family. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

"Thanks for inviting me," she replied, trying to be nice. In reality, she couldn't wait until they got to her mom's house and got to be comfortable around each other again.

"Of course," he said. "Niklaus, come with me." He turned and didn't wait for a response, or to see if his step-son would follow.

Klaus went, though, knowing better than to refuse him. They moved to the giant staircase obediently. She was left at the bottom of the stairs (after a kiss on the cheek and a whispered, "love you") for the quick word from the family, then they danced.

She held him close, and he whispered in her ear promises of getting her away from his step-father. She whispered back that she would be the one getting him away, and they smiled at each other. They were still in the honeymoon phase, and she was loving it.

They were still flirting when Mikael announced it was time for dinner.

There were many tables spread out, meticulously decorated and set up by Rebekah. She was sat with his younger siblings and their guests. Kol had brought his girlfriend Davina, Rebekah had brought her friend Enzo, and Henrik had come alone.

Rebekah only pretended to like Caroline, but Kol was one of her best friends. Henrik was sixteen, and only there because he was forced to be. He didn't go so far as to be on his phone, but he was bored out of his wits. Caroline felt a little bad for him, honestly.

She and Klaus made some small talk. Enzo immediately put himself into the conversation.

Kol said, sipping on champagne, "so, how are the dogs? Did you bring them?"

Klaus nodded with a smile. Jacques and Fleur were their babies. "Yeah, they're out in the car right now. We'll have to let them out soon," he said more to her than his brother.

Enzo, his chin in his hand and his elbow on the table, asked, "what are their names?"

"Fleur and Jacques," Caroline replied, ready to jump into a talk about her babies. She pulled out her phone and swiped through pictures of her and Klaus to get to one of their babies laying in the sun together.

Enzo made the appropriate noises. "They're so cute! Must've gotten their looks from their mother," he winked.

Klaus tensed instantly. She grabbed his hand under the table and wrapped their fingers together.

"They definitely did," Klaus said, giving Enzo a hard look. Rebekah rolled her eyes and muttered about boys and their posturing.

Kol just laughed and made sure his usually gentle hazing was not-so-nice when it came to Enzo. He winked at Caroline when Enzo wasn't looking. She smiled back at him, and thanked him before he and Davina left.

("Of course, sister," he said warmly, giving her a hug. With such a mean parent, the Mikaelson siblings had all turned out friendly and outgoing.)

After a few hours, they trudged out to the car to let the dogs out. "Why was he flirting with you, though?" Klaus complained once again, unlocking the car.

She shrugged. "I don't know. I'm flattered, though."

"Flattered?" Klaus scoffed, turning to raise an eyebrow at her. "So I should be flattered when Camille flirts with me?"

She narrowed her eyes at the mention of her least favorite bartender in the whole world. "Absolutely not."

He smirked. "That's what I thought," his tone was smug as he let the dogs out. She rolled her eyes and bent down to pet Fleur.

* * *

A few days of tense moments, and a plane ride later, they were in Mystic Falls, Virginia.

"First stop is Mom's house, then we can go visit your dad," Caroline recounted for the third time. "Then Christmas Eve there, Christmas morning with mom, a day of family time, and then we'll be back home by the 27th."

"Love, we've been over this, I already know," Klaus replied, acting annoyed. Truthfully, he loved that she was so organized.

"Okay, but do you _know_ ," she stressed. She meant, did he know well enough that she wouldn't have to remind him. He'd learned that long ago.

"Yes, I know," he said, rolling his eyes.

They didn't get much of a chance to talk anymore, as Liz Forbes' home came into view. Liz hadn't liked him, at first, but over the few years he'd known her, he'd grown on her. Probably because Caroline agreed to marry him. Once she'd said yes, Liz had suddenly opened right up to him. Still, he reminded himself to compliment the minor decorations she'd put up.

It was quick work, getting the dogs out of the car and getting invited in. Liz was dressed down, no badge in sight.

"Mom! Hi," Caroline hugged her mother, leading into a greeting session. He got pulled into a hug himself.

They talked for a while, sitting in front of the tree. Caroline gushed about Paris, while Klaus just listened.

"It's amazing, mom, you'll have to come visit us sometime! We can go see all the sights, and you can eat the food. The food is the best part."

He laughed. "I thought you said the boutiques and patisseries were the best part."

She shrugged. "I like the boulangeries, too," she said playfully.

"I'm sure you do," he flirted. He had to go every day to get her her precious French bread.

Liz smiled at them a little less warmly than would be expected. Still, when she spoke, her tone was kind. "When are you leaving for Ansel's?"

"Not until later," he said. "We can stay for another hour or two before we have to go."

"Enough time to make some cookies?" Caroline asked hopefully.

"Yeah, I think so," Liz said, standing and beckoning her daughter to the kitchen.

It gave him a moment alone, a moment to think about the past year. He'd proposed last Christmas, and this year, he had to somehow one-up himself.

He wasn't sure his present would be nearly as memorable as last year's, but he knew she'd like it. It was in two parts, and he was anxious to get back home so she could get the second part.

He stretched, intent on thinking about the little puppy named Géraldine he'd gotten his wife at a later time. Now, he had to find time to wrap the painting and the jewelry he'd gotten her.

Now would be good. He'd been too tense in New Orleans, Mikael and Esther on one side, Enzo and his siblings on the other, to do much of anything. Enzo set his teeth on edge, almost as much as Mikael.

Enzo wasn't in Mystic Falls, though. He had to remind himself of that.

He couldn't think of the man anymore, as Fleur decided to try to eat an ornament.

"Fleur! Arrêtez!"

She stopped immediately, responding to the command in French much quicker than in English. (His thoughts briefly wandered to his future children, if he had any. Would they speak French or English? He shook his head and made himself stop.)

"Good girl," he said, petting behind her ears. She licked his face. "Are you going to be a good girl for mommy?" He asked in a baby voice. While Jacques was an angel with both of them, Fleur was much more taken with him than Caroline.

Caroline's head popped out from the doorway. "Are you going somewhere?"

He gave her puppy dog eyes. "Just to visit an old friend from high school…?"

She narrowed her eyes at him, skeptical. Still, she nodded. "Okay. Come here, first."

He stood and made his way to her, Fleur at his feet. She gave him a kiss, one that he'd love to expand on later, and let him go. "Be back before we have to go," she warned.

"Yes, ma'am," he said, pecking her cheek. "I'll be back soon. Love you."

"Love you too," she said, making his heart pound like it did every time she said those words.

Liz waved, her fingers covered in cookie dough. "See you," she said.

"Goodbye, ladies," he said.

He left then, wondering if Stefan would let him use his house to wrap the presents. Stefan owed him, so he was sure his old friend would.

With a plan in mind, his mind was eased. Until, that is, he started thinking about how she would react to the presents. Damn it, brain.


	9. The Wolf, The Witch, and The Wardrobe

**Summary:** Caroline goes into a wardrobe and finds herself in 10th century Mystic Falls.

 **Rating:** Teen/SFW

* * *

Caroline did it on a dare.

She, along with all of her friends, had been a little tipsy and playing Truth or Dare. Since she was playing with Damon, there was no safe option. Truth was always sexual, and dare was always something that ripped you from your comfort zone.

But she'd much rather have to, like, eat a worm than tell anyone about the time Damon found her vibrator. She'd done it before, and though she didn't want to, she'd do it again.

But when she said "dare," he had something else in mind.

Something else was, "I dare you to go to the old Mikaelson mansion and find something cool, then bring it back."

The mansion was giant, creepy, and shut up tight. When she read To Kill A Mockingbird for the first time, she'd imagined Boo Radley's house to look like the Mikaelson mansion. At the time, Hope Mikaelson (more commonly known as Old Woman Hope) had still been holding onto life with both hands. The house had been nice but distant from the rest of the town.

Caroline knew it wasn't because of the old rumor – that Hope's mother had died there – but she did know that the house was creepy as hell and no one went in it.

But Damon dared her to, and no one said no to a dare from Damon Salvatore. Not unless they wanted to reveal their deepest, darkest secret to all their friends. She'd heard enough about Stefan's weird blood fetish and Tyler's dealings with Slutty Sophie (in the cellar of the Lockwood mansion, gross) the last times it had happened to last a lifetime.

So, she nutted up, and accepted the dare.

Elena, Bonnie, and even Matt looked concerned for her. Stefan looked between her and Damon like he wasn't sure she'd do it.

But she would do anything – she was Caroline Forbes, and Forbes women didn't back down.

So they trudged to the mansion, Elena making worried noises the whole way. Bonnie swung between worried about her wellbeing and worried about being arrested.

Worry for her won out when Caroline opened the doors and rat scampered out, scaring the bejesus out of them all.

"Don't feel like you have to," she nearly pleaded. "It's just Damon. Who cares about impressing him?"

"Damn Bonnie," Damon crowed as soon as the words were out of her mouth. "I'm hurt. It's not like I'm sending her to her death, anyway. Just inside the old, creepy ass building in the woods to steal something and make an Indy-Jones-esque exit. I'm not asking that much."

They all rolled their eyes at him. For being the oldest, he was the least responsible.

"Well, when you say it like that," Caroline drawled, trying to not let it show that Bonnie and Damon were tripping her up. She didn't think would be dangerous, just creepy, but they were making it sound like the house could be sentient. A real life Monster House – which just so happened to scare her to the bone when it came out.

Elena and Matt both calmed at her words, but Bonnie looked unconvinced.

"If you aren't out in fifteen minutes, I'm coming in to get you," she said seriously.

Caroline nodded that she understood, and went in.

At first, there wasn't much to look at. A staircase, a fireplace, a big table with nothing on it. A chandelier, and lots and lots of doorways. It looked like any old house that hadn't had anyone living in it for over a decade.

There was almost nothing to bring back, unless Damon wanted an old Chinese place menu off the fridge or a cup that looked just like ones he had at home.

So, she started opening up the doors.

One was a bathroom, one was a closet, one was home to a raccoon that scared the shit out of her. She didn't scream – Bonnie would've burst in and ended the dare, landing her in secret-revealing time – but she did back up to the door on the other side of the hallway.

She opened it cautiously, expecting like with the other doors that the girl from the Ring would pop out and kill her. But there was nothing in the room but a tall piece of furniture with a tarp of some kind over it.

When she pulled the tarp off, it was revealed to be a wardrobe.

Hmm. Maybe she could steal a coat or something, make a joke about Damon's cold blood.

She opened the wardrobe and looked around. There wasn't a coat or anything, but the back of it was oddly black. The room was dark, but moonlight shone and she could see the corners connecting the sides to the back wall. But the back wall wasn't there, it was just black.

She pressed her fingers to the blackness, but there was nothing there. Her fingers went past where the wall was supposed to be, and she fell slightly forward.

Two feelings washed over her: wrongness and curiosity.

Curiosity won out, and she climbed in.

The wardrobe was much bigger than it looked. She took several steps into the dark, unsure of what she would find. She was tipsy enough that she wasn't scared, but in that same vein, she was convinced she was just drunkenly imagining it.

The floor of the wardrobe was wooden. She stumbled when her feet were suddenly on grass, surrounded by dimly lit trees.

"What the hell…." She mumbled to herself, looking around. The trees weren't familiar, but the sound of water nearby was. It the sound of a waterfall, a sound she'd heard many times. She turned slightly, and came face to face with a very familiar waterfall.

She moved towards it, not caring about where she was or how she got there. She just had to see if the waterfall was the same one she'd grown up visiting.

She tripped over a branch, and landed hard. "Ow!"

"Is there someone there?" A voice shouted. A male voice, one that she didn't recognize as Matt, Stefan, or Damon. "Hello?"

She wasn't tipsy enough to shout 'over here!' like some kind of idiot. She was alone in a place she didn't know, and there was some guy out there, calling out to her? Hell no.

She tried to stand, tried to move away (to the waterfall or to the wardrobe, either one was fine), but she couldn't move over the branch. Leaves under her hands crunched. The guy moved closer; she didn't hear him, but she felt him. His presence moved closer, and she eventually felt eyes on her.

She cursed under her breath. When she looked up, she saw him.

He looked weird, not like the guys who wore fedoras, but like how the Old Hollywood stars looked. They were considered handsome, for the time. She saw the guy in front of her, and got the same feeling – he was cute in an old-time way, not in a modern way.

But she didn't have much time to dwell on that, because he wasn't alone, nor was he comfortable with leaving her sprawled on the ground.

"Oh!" He gasped, and ran to her, kneeling by her side. "Are you alright? Do you need help?"

His companion, a dark haired guy, doubled over to see her better.

"I'm fine," she said, looking between them. "Can you help me up?"

The second she had the opportunity, she'd be gone. She didn't trust them.

"Of course," the dark haired one said, and the both offered her a hand. She stood quickly, having to fight off a dizzy spell as soon as she was upright.

The blonde's hand went to the small of her back. A tidal wave of unease rolled over her. She fell forward into the arms of the blonde, all vision gone to black.

She fainted.

* * *

Caroline woke some time later, in front of a fire.

All tipsiness was gone. In it's place was a feeling of warmth and security. The walls around her were wooden, the ceiling high above and rounded. It was nothing like what she'd seen, but it didn't feel wrong. It felt safe.

She leaned up on her elbows, hoping to get a better look around. What she found instead was four people standing near a doorway, where light was streaming in. She recognized two as her saviors, while the other two were another dark haired guy and a blonde girl.

As soon as she was up, they all turned to her. The blondes moved quicker than the brunettes, and she suddenly had two people in her space.

They bombarded her with questions. When she just stared at them like they were crazy, they introduced themselves.

Her saviors were Niklaus (blonde) and Kol (brunette). The other two were Rebekah (other blonde) and Elijah (other brunette). They were siblings, Elijah being the oldest, Rebekah the youngest.

She finally choked her name out.

"Caro…line. Care-oline. Caroline," Niklaus said, trying it out.

She almost wanted to say that stupid line, 'that's my name, don't wear it out'. Instead, she said, "yeah, that's my name. And yours is Niklaus."

He smiled at her. "Yes. Now, are you hungry?"

"I've prepared some fish meat," Rebekah added, obviously hoping she would say yes. But fish for breakfast sounded disgusting to her.

"Oh, no thanks…. Do you have any vegetables?" She tried.

All four of the siblings scrunched up their noses. "Vegetables?" Kol's voice was delicate, like he didn't want her to know he thought she was crazy.

"Yeah. I'm not much for meat." She raised a defiant eyebrow at him. Rebekah giggled, while the older boys smiled.

Rebekah grabbed her hands. "There are some carrots, if you would like some of those."

"Sure, thank you." She nodded, hoping they would leave. She wanted a minute alone.

Kol mouthed the word 'sure' to Elijah, who shrugged.

Rebekah and Kol left for the gardens (she wasn't sure where it was, but they said they would be quick), while Elijah left to do some chores. He was quiet but the least enthusiastic about meeting her.

Niklaus, however, didn't leave.

He walked with her to the doorway, making sure she didn't fall again.

"I'm fine," she said, fighting off the urge to bat his hands away.

"If you're positive," he said.

"I am," she snipped back.

He laughed through his nose at her. It was cute, in a way. She leaned up against the doorway, watching him watch her.

She was probably still dreaming. Cute boys only ever showed up in her dreams. And there was no way this was all real. He seemed fake in every way, from his hair to his clothes.

"I assure you, this is real," Niklaus said, standing a little taller. "You aren't the first one to come here, dressed like this and talking so oddly. They all thought we were fake, but no. We are just as real as you and every other person on the planet."

She gaped at him. "I didn't mean to say that out loud."

"It is alright. But listen to me. When you leave, you have to come back. Our other brothers will be sorry to have missed you awake." Niklaus looked her in the eyes, and she was sure he could see everything. "I know your kind, Care-oline. You'll come back."

She felt off balance, like the world had shifted. Before she said her fake comment, he'd intrigued her in the best way. He was handsome, old school, and he had funny siblings. Even though she was in weirdo world, he seemed normal.

Not anymore.

She had to leave. She had to get away from his all-knowing eyes.

Any other moment, she would've quipped, 'is that so?'. But not today. Instead, she asked, "will you take me back?"

He licked his lips and looked to the ground. "I don't know the exact spot. I'm not allowed. But I will take you to the waterfall after we eat. Is that agreeable?"

She nodded, rolling her lips. "Yep."

He laughed at her again. "What an odd word."

"Whatever," she said with an eye roll. The tense moment was gone.

And thank god for it.

* * *

"I–I was gone for hours," she said, panting. Everyone was crowded around her, and it was a little shocking to go from just Niklaus to all of her friends.

She was only panting because she'd run through the mansion to get the hell away from the wardrobe.

"What are you talking about, Barbie?" Damon asked, clearly freaking out a little. She never acted like this.

"Damon, shut up. Are you okay, Caroline?" Elena asked, moving closer comfortingly.

Bonnie, standing, cajoled, "yeah, come sit down." Matt even beckoned her towards a fallen log.

She did, but not before looking back at the mansion. She wasn't sure what had just happened, but it had been real. Niklaus had said so. He'd been so sure that she would want to come back.

And she did. She wanted to see him again. Tomorrow night sounded good to her.


	10. Inferior

**Summary:** Klaus is genetically imperfect and has to tell Caroline, who is genetically perfect. Gattaca inspired.

 **Rating:** General/SFW

* * *

They're at the stage of The Future, talking about their future children. And they have to have at least three – it's not an option. They can decide when they have them, and that's it.

Which is why, when Klaus says, "I don't want any children," Caroline is shocked.

"What do you mean, you don't want children? It's too late, Klaus, we have to have kids." She waves a hand in a 'duh' way. Because this is a 'duh' situation. When they were married, they were told they were going to have three or more kids. He'd never said anything for or against it, until now. She doesn't know what happened to make him change his mind.

With his hands in his pockets, and his face closed off, Klaus shrugs. "I just don't, Caroline. It won't end up good, for anyone."

They have a staring match. Klaus isn't an abuse victim (no one is anymore), and, like all males, has genes inside him that'll make sure he's a good father. So is it nerves? Is it her? What's the problem?

Klaus sighs and scrubs a hand over his face. When his hand falls, his eyes are slightly red and he's biting his lip nervously. "Sit down," he says, sounded wrecked. She's never heard or seen him so upset; she sits on their couch instantly. He sits heavily next to her, but leaves space between them.

Caroline waits for him to say something first.

She has to wait for several minutes of his gathering his thoughts. Every second hikes up her nerves; she twirls her wedding ring, bites her lip, and tries her best to be patient.

Finally, he says, "I'm not like you."

He stops, drags a hand through his hair. "What do you mean?" Caroline asks after another minutes of silence.

"I–I was conceived…not made." She gasps, but he steamrolls over anything she might say, on a roll. "My mother and my birth father had sex and I was made. I wasn't altered or anything. I have a life expectancy of 55.8 years. I can pass on myopia, heart arrhythmia, arthritis, high blood pressure, POTS, any number of things. I know we were told to have three, but I don't think we should."

He faces her, finally, and he probably expects hundreds of questions. She has two. "What are all those things and how the hell were you not found out?"

His face flushes. "Father paid people off. As for the diseases, myopia is non-perfect vision, heart arrhythmia is when the heart beats irregularly, arthritis is joint pain, high blood pressure is when your blood goes against the artery too forcefully, and POTS is when your blood volume is unequal when you stand up. I don't have any of them, except the heart arrhythmia, but I'm a carrier for all of them. Why would you want to have a child who could have any of that?" He asks bitterly.

She scoots closer, grabs his hands in hers, and doesn't hesitate for even a second before saying, "me."

Because yeah, it's required. She has to have kids with him. But the thing is – she wants to. Even if he is genetically imperfect.

He doesn't look her in the eyes; he just stares at their hands. "Caroline, I'm inferior. A mutt. Even if we go to the doctors, they won't take us. They don't take people like me."

Caroline shrugs, making it more unconcerned than it really is. She does have some reservations, but those can take a backseat to his self-image. "So we'll conceive naturally. It'll be fine, Klaus." He looks unsure, still. She can't have that, can she? She rests her hands on his cheeks and makes him look at her when she says, "I promise, Klaus, I am perfectly fine having children with you. Genetically imperfect or not."

Klaus smiles slowly, probably not completely believing her. Still, he says, "thank you, Caroline. I love you." He nuzzles his cheek into her palm lovingly.

She smiles at him reassuringly. "I love you too."


	11. Never, Ever

Summary: KC of an apocalyptic future come back to Mystic Falls, after Esther was woken up but before the ball.

Rating: Teen/SFW

* * *

The whole gang is just enjoying a peaceful moment, trying to have fun for once. With Katherine locked up and the originals having a family moment (luckily free of violence), they have the time. The Salvatore Boarding House is a good place for their antics (though Damon does not agree), so the girls are running around pranking each other, playing games.

Bonnie exaggerates her chanting to sound extra spooky, aiming wiggling fingers towards Caroline and Elena. They giggle, shriek and run through the winding hallways, trying to be careful not to run into the brothers. If they catch the girls, they get a point; that would lead to their egos inflating even more than they already are, aka Caroline's worst nightmare.

Well, Caroline does run into someone, and it isn't Matt (who is on their team against Bonnie and the Salvatores), or the brothers. It's...herself. A version of herself, more like, who has bags under her eyes for days, and hair that looks unwashed (something Caroline makes sure never happens; personal hygiene is important). Even weirder is the figure next to her - a version of Klaus with scruffy hair and a stench of blood. Both of them are sweaty, and staring at her and the building around them incredulously. But the weirdest of all is that they're curled around each other, Klaus's front pressed to her clone's back. The weird couple is the spitting image of her and Tyler, except … not her and a Klaus clone.

Her shriek is instantaneous. There's no time for her to stare at them, not when she needs either Bonnie or one of the brothers to help her with this seriously-above-her-pay-grade mess, asap.

Not!Klaus winces, while Not!Caroline glares. "Shut up!" She hisses, pressing further back into the evil man behind her. It causes a chain reaction of them touching each other. Not!Klaus rubs a hand down Not!Caroline's arm, which she then clutches in her own.

Caroline, in utter shock at the way her clone is so close to the guy harassing them, bolts. She doesn't look back to make sure she isn't being followed.

She once again slams into someone, though this time it's Damon. His hands land on her hips, and while any other day the thought of Damon touching her would have ready to stake him, she allows it. He looks slightly drunk and a mix of happy and concerned.

"What? What happened?" He demands.

She moves so he's in standing with his back to the direction she came and she's looking that way. "I was playing the game, and I ran into someone."

"'Someone?' What the hell does that mean?" His sassy eyebrow jumps up in a classic Damon move.

She bursts, "I don't know! All I know is that it's a clone of me, and a clone of Klaus, and they're all - "

She cuts off abruptly, seeing the couple moving quickly down the hallway. Damon twists, and it feels like it's just her and Damon (of all freaking people) against a dangerous unknown. It sucks.

"We can explain," the clone of herself says, hands up. Klaus, still right behind her, has put on his innocent face - the one that always spells danger for them. A part of her, a vampire part of her, sees it and knows it's bullshit instantly.

Damon and Caroline share a look.

"Fine," he says, and has her drag everyone to the living room. Yeah, there's a good reason why she hates him.

* * *

Caroline decides that the younger of version of her is going to be called Barbie. She then decides that she has not actually missed Damon's attitude, despite the years of wishing she could have it back. She also does not appreciate Stefan and Elena's judgement, that she can feel from the loveseat Klaus dragged her into.

"Okay, so say it again," Bonnie says for what must be the one-thousandth time. She's sitting next to Elena, who has Matt on her other side. Stefan sits on the arm of the couch. It's very clear where the divide is.

Caroline doesn't roll her eyes but it's a close thing. Klaus, pressed up against her, squeezes her hand in support. They've forbidden Klaus from speaking and will only listen to her; it's a difficult story and he can't help her because of these stupid baby versions of her friends. Every single one of the babies around her stare like she and Klaus are the freaks.

"After Silas and the others killed the dissidents in all the big cities, they went to all the hotbeds of supernatural and killed the vampires there, too. The werewolves were eradicated pretty early on, but the witches were kept alive to serve the vampires that were still alive. All of you were killed...very quickly. So I went with Katherine to New Orleans to find Klaus. Long story short, we met up, Katherine and the other originals were killed by the de Martel's, and we've been running ever since." She breathes out heavily, feeling all the depression, stress, and anxiety of the world Davina sent them away from. The overwhelming helplessness that overcame her when Marcel killed Elijah, leaving them truly alone, and Klaus cried for hours.

"And then some witch sent you back in time," Elena continues, not seeming to believe her. Barbie doesn't either. In fact, none of them do.

Damon cuts in, a thorn in her side from across the room (he's at the bar, which is no shocker), "I have a better question. Why is Klaus stuck to your side like glue?"

"It's because they're all that's left," Stefan supplies, like he knows everything and can answer for them. God, being alone with Klaus - who always lets her speak, whenever she wants - for so long has sheared her temper in half. She has no time for Stefan's bullshit.

She can't say anything, though, because Elena sighs in relief. "Thank god. I was scared you two were, like, together or something. If it's just because there's no one else, or no other vampires, then I guess it's okay."

"Are you suddenly our boss?" Klaus asks, leaning forward. Caroline leans back, burrowing a little closer. She can't help it; she needs him intimately close.

Matt and Bonnie both rear back, ready to back down against this version of her. Stefan, Damon, and Elena, however, don't back down. Barbie looks between everyone, unsure of what she could be adding to this.

"No, but _come on_. Caroline would never, ever get with Klaus, of all people." Elena does roll her eyes. "She knows better."

Barbie adds, "I would _never_ date Klaus," with the appropriate venom in her voice of a person who feels what Elena Gilbert wants her to feel. Caroline wants to scoff and rolls her eyes and also kinda wants to rip Elena to shreds.

Klaus smirks. "For all of these 'never's, you'll be shocked to find out it only took fifteen years. Now, we're going to go see my siblings while you take in this revelation." He stands, and doesn't react when Caroline impulsively jumps on his back so he'll carry her. There are so few pleasures in their life, that he allows her anything she wants. She's the same way for him, which is why he's always touching her. His wolf is so paranoid that she'll be just gone one day, that he insists on it. She doesn't mind, and in fact takes advantage of it.

She smirks smugly at the babies as Klaus walks them out. Barbie is flushed, eyeing Klaus. Later, she's going to tell Klaus all about how he got her hook, line, and sinker even before the ball.


	12. Friction

**Summary:** Prompt from thetourguidebarbie: "so maybe original!caroline goes to mystic falls for some reason and runs into elena and then compels the entire town to think she'd always been there"

 **Rating:** Mature/NSFW

* * *

It happens at the turn of the twenty-first century.

Klaus finally snaps, fed up with Finn's insistence that they stop killing or turning innocents. When he should be thankful that Finn has backed down from 'stop feeding period', Klaus is instead angry. His anger leads him to the thing that Caroline has forbidden him from doing - daggering his siblings. Though he's had the weapons for almost as long as they've been alive, he's never used them.

They're quite easy to use, he finds, and almost...fun. Just stab, and your annoying prat of a brother is silent. Good think he has more than one.

Caroline does not share his sentiments. No, instead she is angry. Her anger leads her to the thing that Klaus has insisted will not happen, now or ever - an ultimatum saying that, if he wants to sleep in the same bed as her, he'll not only wake Finn up, apologize, and vow to never do it again, he'll also feed on animals or bags to prove his sincerity.

"Absolutely not," he growls, not caring about the audience. He and his siblings live in each other's pockets, anyway, so what does it matter if they see?

Caroline puts her hands on her hips and gives him The Look - the one that's always meant he'll back down, right now, or suffer grave consequences. He shuts himself up tight to ward it off, even though it's never worked before. "If you don't, then…." She trails off, grasping for a threat. He knows she won't find one that won't also hurt her - he has the same problem. Sleep on the couch? Then they don't get to cuddle. Eat or feed alone? Then there's no banter. Life is boring without his wife, even when he's mad at her.

He taunts, "then what?"

He wishes he didn't, in retrospect.

She steels herself, ignores Kol's cackling, and says, "then I'll leave."

Kol cuts off with a choke, and all eyes are on them, even Elijah's. He barely notices, though, too caught up with Caroline to worry about what his siblings are doing.

At first, he doesn't believe her. Every other time she's said that, it was a joke. He wasn't painting her enough, she wasn't getting enough loving in bed, he'd argued with his siblings again, etc. He's even said it to her - when she spends more time with his younger siblings than she does with him, or when their banter moves in that direction. But it's never been something serious.

"I don't believe you," he says simply. He's found over the years that she'll back down if he's cold enough. Then again, she's found it to be true the other way around.

Her eyes narrow dangerously, and for a moment, he's worried. Maybe he needs to shut up, unstab Finn, and do whatever she says. But then her face smoothes out, and all she says is, "you're right, I'm not leaving. But you're still sleeping on the couch." Then she flounces off, Kol at her heels.

It's a win but not a victory, because that night, he can't sleep without her by his side. He falls asleep so late he can see the sun rising through the windows. He'll paint it for her, is his last thought before he finally sleeps.

When he wakes up, he has all kinds of plans to make sure she lets him keep Finn comatose. There's no chance she'll just let Finn rot, not unless Klaus coaxes her. He's thinking Paris, a bottle of champagne, and hours spent with his head between her lovely thighs. He's done that many times, but it's always worked like a charm.

There's one problem, though, one thing stopping that from becoming reality again.

She's nowhere to be found. Not in bed, not in the kitchen, or the studio, or in town. She's gone.

* * *

Ten years later, Caroline is really starting to regret going home.

She'd chosen Mystic Falls as a way to be someone else, while still being the girl she once was. She saw it as a way to be new and old at the same time.

Well, she's gotten over that.

Being human again was nice, even though she'd never truly been one. She's happy being a vampire in the eyes of her companions, because every single one is surprised at the tricks she knows. Even Damon Salvatore, whose eyes stay firmly on two parts of her body and who believes himself to be the better vampire, is in awe when she does things not even he knows.

She's sorely tempted to tell him that Stefan is the older vampire in their case, and she's roughly five times their age. Knocking him down a peg is so very nice. (The face makes when he's baffled makes her inner blood-thirsty self want to pounce.)

He reminds her of her husband in those thoughts. Klaus is always on his high horse; seeing him fall off can be quite enjoyable.

"Caroline!" A voice calls from the living room. It's Elena and the Salvatores, by the sound of their feet. She sits up in bed, makes sure nothing is spilling out of her tank top, and doesn't have to wait very long before the doppelganger and the brothers are in her room.

Tangent time: the doppelganger. It was a happy accident that she lived in the town Caroline picked. What isn't a happy accident is Caroline keeping her existence a secret from Klaus. She has no idea how she'll justify it to him but for now, she isn't worrying about it. Much.

Second tangent: does anyone in this little gang have any idea what boundaries are? Honestly, they barge into her room whenever they want. Bonnie has gotten quite a show several times. Regrettably, so has Stefan. And Matt….and Elena. Maybe she can get Liz to invest in a lock for her room. Asking Liz for things is easy, even without Maddox and Greta helping her maintain the spell on Mystic Falls. She doesn't have to strengthen it around her supposed mother, mostly because of bloodlines but also because Liz was so lonely her mind has embraced the idea of a daughter completely.

Enough of that, though. Caroline has been forcing herself to stop thinking so much, lately. It was almost affecting the spell - her anxiety and unease can cause ripples, apparently. If she were anymore like her husband, then Greta and Maddox would certainly be dead by now. Good thing she's much kinder, then, and can deal with small problems like normal people.

But seriously. Back to real life, now.

Elena's said something. Caroline's heard nothing, though it's not uncommon for her to ignore the garbage the girl spews. There's a moment they just stare at each other, ending with Elena caving and looking away. It's hard not to let a smug smile show; after years of winning against Klaus and being insufferable afterwards, it's become a habit.

Caroline blinks at Elena, making herself look stupid, and asks, "come again?"

Damon instantly gets a sour look on his face, like he can't stand her. She can't help but think that if he pulled that face around Klaus, he would die instantly. The thought makes her smile.

"Have you ever heard of Elijah?" Elena says again, waving her hands.

Caroline's blood turns to ice. "Elijah? Why do you ask?"

"You don't know?" Damon asks snidely. Caroline ignores him so hard it must permanently dent his ego.

"When I woke up, there were these two vampires there, Rose and Trevor. Some stuff happened, mostly talking, then a vampire named Elijah came, apparently to take me to a guy named Klaus. He got staked, and we left his body there. We just got back." She pulls a confused face. "I told Matt to tell you what happened."

Caroline's first thought is 'oh shit'. Her second is 'why does the guy on the fringes of the drama know these things before me?'. Her third is 'oh _shit_ '.

Because not only will Elijah, who is definitely not dead, be pissed, he'll bring Klaus with him, and Klaus will also be pissed.

She figures she has two options here: tell the babies about the Originals (maybe even being one of them) or tell her family where to find a doppelganger, vampire, and werewolf. The first option is stupid but loyal; she wants to keep some friends, mainly Bonnie, and that's the best way to do so. Option two is difficult but right; she'll have to talk to the family she walked away from, but considering she spent a thousand years with them, it should be fine. She hopes.

In the end, Caroline picks the third option: wait it out. She knows what she wants to do, what she should do, and what is right, but...she just can't decide. It's probably too much to hope it doesn't come back to bite her in the ass.

* * *

It should be painfully obvious. Klaus enjoys attention like Caroline enjoys being loved. And what better way to get that attention than to be as dramatic as possible?

She knows this as an essential part of her husband. She's never known him without his need of attention being center stage. So why on Earth does she not expect it? How could she have not guessed it?

When their eyes meet, it's like he's asking her the same thing.

He's standing at the end of the table in The Grill, ignoring everyone sitting with her, and looking all kinds of delicious. Hair a little shorter than the last time they saw each other, clothes casual but fitted, his devil-may-care expression firmly in place….

She shifts obviously, and his smirk speaks volumes. His eyes have a spark of confusion behind them, but the way his lips are twisted up are reassured, no questions there.

Elena speaks, breaking them from the gaze. The words don't compute, and Caroline doesn't even try to understand.

When Caroline left, she thought she would just be waiting until Klaus undaggered Finn, but then he didn't, and she met Greta, who, along with Maddox, gave her this charmed little life. All these years, she's kept Klaus mostly out of her thoughts. It's easier to ignore his existence than it is to remember their centuries together. But seeing him has shattered her life here - she can't go so long without him. Not again.

"I'm Klaus," he says to Elena, voice light and friendly. He slides into the booth next to her, ending up pressed against her side when she doesn't move to make room. Instead of touching her or even looking at her, he pays her no mind. All he does is say, "I'm sure you know why I'm here."

Caroline's face turns hard, for appearance's sake. On the inside, though, she's practically purring. He used his danger voice, the one he always uses before a massacre. While she finds violence abhorrent, he's always looked good blood splattered and wild. It's so easy to just lick the flecks off his chest -

His eyes slide over to her, smug as ever. His eyebrow quirks, no words needed for him to communicate. She rolls her eyes, both for her friends and also because of course he knows what she's thinking. Somehow, he always does.

Elena watches their interaction like a hawk, probably so she can report it back to the Salvatores. She doesn't comment on it, though, instead saying, "you won't get away with it. Rose told me why you're doing this." Trying to make her voice sound big and tough is not small and gentle Elena's forte, and it's painfully obvious. "There's no reason to kill me so all the vampires on the planet can get some sunlight."

Klaus tilts his head, attention back on the doppelganger. Caroline slinks an inch away, but he scoots again so the space is gone. With a laugh in his voice, he says, "is that what you think this is?"

That throws the girls on the other side for a loop. They're thinking, _do we really know what Klaus wants?_

The answer is clearly no, and Caroline feels extremely grateful in that moment. If they find out what he really wants, they will never forgive her.

* * *

Half an hour later, Caroline is pressed up against a brick wall not far from The Grill. Bonnie and Elena are...somewhere, she doesn't really care. All she cares about is getting her explanation out.

"I was angry with you for daggering Finn, and I thought it would do you well to have some consequences to your actions," at this he scoffs, but she continues without rising to the bait, "so I left. I thought you'd wake him up and then I would return, but after a week without Finn walking around, I left the city. I kept tabs for the first six months, but you weren't budging, so I stopped."

She pauses, taking him in. With his jaw clenched and blank face, he seems irritated. When he talks, though, he sounds the kind of calm that doesn't mean he's enraged. "I wasn't worried about him, I was worried about _you_. You were gone, no trace of you anywhere, and...I wasn't sure I'd be able to find you." He grits it out, even though the words hold meaning. He never cares when Kol runs away, not seriously, at least.

Her demeanor softens, and she pulls him closer. They've gone much more than ten years apart before, but never because one of them ran away. Each time, they end up back in bed (or a bathtub, a couch, a hallway, once) very quickly after. She hopes it can be the same way this time, after they talk, of course.

"I hid from you," she says simply. "I did it because I was still mad at you, and then, after a while, I'd been gone too long to just come back. It sounds stupid, I know, but," she sighs, not finishing her sentence. "I travelled for about six years, then I moved to Richmond. I met a witch there named Greta, who eventually told me she owed you a favor. And what's yours is mine, right, so I asked her to help me settle down somewhere. She knows this spell that can charm a whole town, makes them think you've always been there. And I chose Mystic Falls."

"And you chose this wretched town because…?"

Looking him right in the eye, she answers, "not because of the doppelganger. I didn't even know she was here. I chose here because it's home." _Because it's nice to reminisce about our marriage_ , she doesn't say, but like always, he hears.

"Home? This bit of land isn't home, we are. You should have stayed."

"You should have done as I said," she counters, because this isn't all her fault and no way is he going to blame it on her. "I told you, use those daggers and there'd be consequences. This isn't the eleventh century, and you aren't the boss of the family anymore. You don't get to lay on the blame on my shoulders."

With so little space between them, she can feel the way he relaxes against her. "I love your fire," he says, flashing a wicked smile. "Even when it leads to...all this. We're both to blame," _not me_ , he doesn't say, but she hears and she's not cool with it, don't be fooled, "and we both have some apologizing to do. I say we get started now, hmm?"

He quirks his eyebrow again, cajoling, but she has no time for that. As cute as it is, her husband is good at convincing her to distract her, especially when she won't stand to be distracted.

With a stony face, she demands, "is Finn still daggered? Are any of them daggered?"

"No and no, love." He seems sincere, but he seemed sincere when he said he liked her poor attempt at calligraphy back in the sixteen hundreds, and he was lying then.

Caroline gives him her bitch-please face, to which he gives her his I'm-an-angel face. There's a momentary stand off, with her standing on her tiptoes to be eye-to-eye.

It's not long before they're in her bed, reconnecting. He's got her moaning again in no time, and vice versa.

It's really too bad that Elena barges in and gets an even bigger show than last time.


	13. The Wolf, The Witch, and The Wardrobe 2

**Summary: sequel to The Wolf, The Witch, and The Wardrobe.**

 **Rating: Teen/SFW.**

* * *

When Caroline stepped onto the grass, she actually had an idea about what she was doing. Instead of stumbling around drunkenly, she was going to...not do that. She would say 'she was going to find Niklaus' but the memories of how to get to his house were gone.

So instead, she moved to the waterfall and plopped down, taking her shoes off and sitting halfway in the water. It was day time, and the sun was beating down. In retrospect, she shouldn't have worn a hoodie, but Mystic Falls in the morning was cold! And how was she supposed to know that this...world or whatever was going to be hot!

She was still ranting to herself (though the topic had moved from the heat to berating herself for coming again) when Niklaus showed up.

She stood hastily, not bothering to put her shoes back on.

His eyes - one of which was black, what the hell - perused her from head to toe. They lingered on her legs, where her jeans were rolled up to the knees. When he met her gaze, there was interest darkening his eyes. She studiously ignored it (though the image went straight to the spank bank).

But all she said was, "what the hell happened to you?" As one, they both winced. God, why did she just say things? Was there no filter? Did she have any tact whatsoever or did exposure to Damon suck it from her like some kind of dementor?

He stepped closer, forcing her thoughts from her shortcomings to him. He had a noticeable limp that he tried and failed to hide; his lip was split and a bruise marred his cheek. "It is nothing to fret about, Care-oline. Don't worry about me." He quirked the eyebrow above his not-black eye. "You came back."

She only looked at the stupidly cute smile on his lips for a second, but it was burned in her mind. "Yeah. I was too curious not too." Truth is she wanted to hide from Damon and Bonnie, who were both convinced she was going insane. Well, Bonnie thought that; Damon was more concerned about how she found a fresh carrot in a mansion no one had been in in forever. (Even more so that she'd just taken a bite out of it.) Still, the curiosity isn't completely untrue. She did want to meet the other siblings Niklaus talked about. (And okay, maybe she wanted to see him again. Shut up.)

"Well then, please accompany me back to the village and I will do my best to satiate your curiosity. I'll tell nothing but the truth," he vowed. Though she expected one, no bow happened. Bummer.

They linked arms, and he led them back to his home, with her practically holding him up. Well, not holding him up, but more making sure he didn't fall or sway too much and then fall. She side-eyed him, concerned.

Her first few questions were simple - "why do your houses look like that" (he wasn't sure but everyone's houses were like that so of course theirs was as well), "what year is it" (apparently it was the year 1000, to which she said "holy shit", to which he gave her a look like she was the crazy one), "who are you other brothers" (Aaron, Finn, and Henrik), etc.

When they were almost to the village, she asked, "so you swear to tell the truth?"

He was instantly tense, but nodded anyway. What a champ.

She pulled away and put her hands on her hips, ready to slay him alive if he gave some bullshit excuse. "Good. Who did this to you?"

He scrubbed a hand through his hair, that had dirt in it, now that she looked. When he spoke, it was an embarrassed undertone, "my father."

If she'd had a drink, she would've spit it everywhere. "Your dad?" She'd expected one of his brothers, or some guy from the village, or like, a tree or something. But not his own father; the thought was horrifying. He seemed too used to having injuries for her to think it was just a one time thing. He was talking around the split lip, walking mostly fine around the sight issues and the limp. It seemed like he was an old hat at this.

He flushed, cheeks brightening under her gaze. On one hand, it was cute and she wanted to see if he blushed anywhere else. On the other hand, he was basically admitting his father was abusive. Nothing about that was cute.

"Yes. But as I told you before, it is not something you need to worry over. I am perfectly fine." He didn't let her respond before he was saying, "now, let's continue. We mustn't be late for supper."

* * *

His home loomed high above her head once again. The roof was curved in a way that made her think of a boat; it made her itch to flatten it out. Inside, all the pillars were still there, just cutting into the space of the home. Worst of all was that there was no door, and she could see inside from several yards away.

Though really, she had no time to focus on the building itself.

As soon as Niklaus steered her to the logs where they ate, Kol and Rebekah had boxed her in. Kol seemed to be the same age, or maybe a little younger, but Rebekah was quite a bit younger. If she had to guess, she would say eighteen and sixteen to her own nineteen.

That, plus the fact that she was new, made them both over eager to speak to her. Elijah, who was definitely older than her, sat on Rebekah's other side. Like last time, he was nice to her but not particularly interested.

Though she was instantly bombarded with questions, she noticed that they all watched Niklaus as he went inside, then came back and sat next to Kol.

She talked for a little while, laughing at Kol and complimenting Rebekah. She was great at the whole socializing thing, and it showed.

Up until the rest of the family joined them.

First was the youngest brother, Henrik. He looked nothing like any of them, except his skin being as flawless and pale as Rebekah's. And his hair kind of resembled Elijah and Kol's. But that was it.

He walked with a weird gait, but it didn't slow him down at all, nor did anyone else seem to notice it. Caroline stood, thinking about her etiquette classes, and let him introduce himself ("I am Henrik, son of Mikael, and I am the most precious of the Mikaelson siblings," to which Kol snorted and all three of the others hit him over the head).

"I am Caroline," she said back. He waited, as did the rest, so she added, "Forbes…?"

A booming voice said, "no, your title, not your last name." She swung around and came face to face with a guy so mean looking, Skeletor would look like a nice guy in comparison. She could feel his unspoken 'duh' (or maybe he was calling her a snivelling fool, but how was she to know).

 _So_ , she thought, _this dickhead is Mikael_. Unless they have some kind of uncle she didn't know about, this was Niklaus' father. She noticed that he wasn't the only one who stiffened when Mikael spoke - the four she knew, as well as Henrik, all tensed and looked to the ground.

Shit. How do you call the cops on a guy who lived a thousand years ago?

"Well?" He demanded.

"Caroline Forbes, resident person from the future."

Her sass was unappreciated. He came closer, three more people trailing behind him. While they sat, he sized her up, leading her to stand as tall as she could and puff up. "What happened to Nicholas and Eli?" He finally asked.

"Who?" Was she supposed to know?

Elijah helpfully answered, "Hope's sons."

"Hope had children?" Caroline honestly knew nothing of the old lady, especially that she had children. Talk about a plot twist.

They all gave her looks like 'duh'. Well okay then, Hope had children.

"Yes, and they had much more impressive titles than 'resident person from the future'," Mikael sneered.

She had nothing to say to that. He wouldn't care if she was Miss Mystic Falls for three years in a row, a high school graduate, majoring in event planning and minoring in business, and one of few people who could say they've kicked Damon Salvatore in the dick. He wouldn't give a shit about anything she said, so she was forced to hold her tongue.

A hand pulled at her elbow, and then Rebekah was introducing the other three people. "This is my mother, Esther, and my brothers, Aaron and Finn. Mother, brothers, this is Caroline."

If Elijah was politely uninterested, then Finn was in full IDGAF mode. Aaron was somewhere between Elijah and Henrik, who sat close, and Esther was erring on the side of Rebekah and Kol.

It was all awkward as hell, because they kept talking about people she didn't know. Who were Joseph and Lydia? Oh, the Mikaelsons of the 1700's. And who was Caleb? He was Caleb Mikaelson, born 1823, of course. Roscoe was Roscoe Mikaelson, who said he was a Confederate soldier, and James, who claimed he was fighting in a world war. (Kol, as he said it, had eyes so big, he looked like a Disney princess. Apparently the idea of the entire world warring was an attractive one.) Then there was Hope and her two sons who came through the wardrobe more often than any relatives before.

Secretly, she planned to search all of this when she got back home, try to prove these people were real.

But before she could do that, she had to disentangle herself from Rebekah and Kol (who, thank god, was mellowing as the night went on).

Luckily, Niklaus sensed what she needed, and stood. "May I accompany you back to the waterfall?"

"Sure, thank you."

Again, Kol made a confused noise about her word choice.

Aaron stood as well, and moved swiftly towards her and Niklaus. He didn't have the same gait as Henrik, she noticed. None of them did.

"It was a pleasure to meet you, Caro-line. I am unsure if I will be here next time you visit, so I felt I should say it now." He clasped her wrist, so she did the same.

Then, after they broke apart, she waved to everyone, and she and Niklaus were off.

They idly chit-chatted as they went. She asked about Aaron's family, who was in a neighboring village. He'd told her his wife and children were unable to make the trip due to being pregnant or too little. He also said that he'd named his children after their future relatives, and as luck would have it, his wife was pregnant with a little girl. There would be a Caroline Mikaelson out in the world, apparently.

She'd shrugged, thanked him, and went back to listening Rebekah complain about a girl named Tatia.

When they got to the waterfall, she thanked him and kissed his bruised cheek gently. "I'll see you tomorrow," she said before heading back to the wardrobe.

* * *

Her phone was buzzing the second she stumbled back onto the hardwood floor.

A cursory glance said no time had passed, and it was Elena calling.

"Hello?"

Elena sobbed, "D-Damon and Stef-fan are in the hospital! They were found in the boarding house after Zach came home and he called me and…. God there was so much b-b-blood."

Caroline ran for the front door, listening as Elena cried. Eventually, as Caroline was pushing the speed limit to get back to town, Elena hung up.

It took her another ten minutes to get to the hospital and then to the hallway outside the brothers' rooms. Elena was still crying, Bonnie comforting her over an uncomfortable chair arm.

Numbly, she sat on Elena's other side. "What happened?" She asked Bonnie in an undertone.

Bonnie shook her head, signalling she'd tell later.

Later was _hours_ later, when Elena was in Damon's room. Apparently he was the lesser injured brother. She'd had to fight Dr. Fell to be allowed to see him, which had only drained her further. It wouldn't surprise Caroline if her friend was passed out in there.

As soon as she was gone, Bonnie explained. "Nobody's really sure what happened, honestly, except for the fact that Zach swears he heard someone in the house and there was a lot of blood loss. I think it was a robbery gone wrong, but we just aren't sure," Bonnie said apologetically.

"Holy shit," she said, leaning back with a heavy sigh.

"Yeah," she agreed. After a pause, she asked, "where were you that it took so long?"

Caroline figured Bonnie was to be trusted more than any of the others, so she said, "the Mikaelson mansion. I...I dropped my purse when I went in, and lost a few things. I couldn't see in the dark, so I went today." It worked fine as an excuse - she could trust Bonnie, but the wardrobe would have to stay secret for now, lest Bonnie call her crazy.

Bonnie, instead of looking appeased, was alarmed. "Caroline...I didn't say this last night, but that place gives me serious bad vibes. Like, _those_ bad vibes."

Her tone riled Caroline's nerves. "Those bad vibes as in Lockwood cellar bad vibes or those bad vibes as in the underground tunnels bad vibes?"

"Tunnel bad vibes." They shared a knowing look. "It feels evil, the whole building. It feels like it's been used to summon the devil before. Promise me you won't go back, Care, please."

Well fuck, Caroline thought.

"Okay, I won't," she promised, knowing she'd be back the next day.


	14. A Million Mistakes

**Summary:** **Klaus scares Marcel while keeping his kingdom running smoothly, and so Marcel runs to Caroline. Original!Caroline AU. Title comes from Dear Theodosia.**

 **Rating: Teen/SFW (for past child abuse)**

* * *

Caroline ran her hands through the boy's hair, comforting him as best she could. "He tries, Marcel. He does."

Marcel's shoulders shook with sobs, and Caroline, in that moment, hated Mikael more than ever before. It was Mikael who ruined Klaus, who now ruined Marcel.

"Why, mama? Why is he so mean?" The young boy pleaded. He curled into her, and her heart shattered at the sight of her son, laid so low.

She laid down with him, determined to stay the night. Klaus would just have to sleep alone, that night.

In a whisper, she told her son the secret they'd been keeping from him for two years. "Marcel, I have to be honest with you. The truth is ugly but in order to understand why your father is the way he is, you must know."

He sniffled, "okay." With wide eyes, his innocence was still intact, at least a little bit. She didn't doubt that the next death he witnessed at his father's hand would rip it away from him.

"Your father was born of an illegal relationship. His father was not the same as Aunt Rebekah and Uncle Elijah's father. Their father, Mikael, knew that Klaus was not his son and treated him as such. Your father received beatings for every little thing he did. He was never shown love, just anger and aggression."

"He isn't angry and aggressive with you," he pointed out, wiping away his tears.

"You're right," she conceded. "But that is because I have been loyal to him since we were children, over 800 years ago now. He has learned to be affectionate with me, but he has not with you. Though he would never hurt you," she hurried to assure. "He just does not know how to be anything but cruel, and doesn't think about how you will react to it."

Marcel looked away, blinking suspiciously again. "Will you tell him that I don't want to see his business please? I don't think I can."

"Of course, darling," she soothed, rubbing his back.

"Thank you, mama," he sighed. "Can we talk about somethin' else now?"

They talked until his eyes drooped. "You go on to bed, and I'll be right back, okay?"

He nodded, mostly asleep. The moment she was out of the bed, he curled into a tighter circle, more on the spot she'd been in than in his own.

She slunk out silently. As soon as she hit the steps, Klaus was there with his arms crossed. "Done coddling the boy, are you?"

"I think you mean, 'done comforting our son, are you?'," she snapped. The urge to push him down the staircase was strong, but she knew she couldn't hurt him. All she could do was sass him 'til the sun rose and there would be no emotional harm done. Sass didn't remind him of what Mikael did to him.

She loved him more than any other being on the planet, and she could not do that to him. No matter how annoying he was.

He glowered at her, knowing exactly what she was thinking. Her refusal to do as other wives do and just slap him silly when he needed a good whack was something they pointedly ignored, but don't be fooled. He knew exactly why she didn't. "He shouldn't _need_ comforting!"

Her hands went to her hips instantly. "He is twelve, and dealing with having you for a father. Some comfort could go a long way in ensuring he doesn't turn against you in the future." Gods, if only he used his brain and realized that. She wouldn't be able to bear being caught between her husband and her son.

His eyes, usually lovely and sweet, were hard. "No matter what I do, he will go against me, I who has saved him from torment, who has fed and clothed him, treated him as my own, who - "

She raised a hand, cutting him off. "Not another word, _Niklaus_. Think about what you are saying. Think about who you are emulating right now, and how you felt when you were in Marcel's place. Then perhaps you will realize just why I am choosing him over you."

She turned, ready to return to her child. He wasn't hers by blood, and she hadn't chosen him, but she'd loved him since he stepped into her home, Klaus right behind him.

"You dare compare me to Mikael?" He spit, reaching for her. She spun, grabbing his wrist and twisting.

"Yes," she said simply. "And before I forget, Marcel has decided he wants nothing of your 'family business'. So leave him out of it, or you will regret it." _You're lucky I love you_ hung between them, not needing to be said.

She left him in the hallway, a glare chasing her to her baby's room.

* * *

The next morning, a charcoal drawing of Caroline cradling Marcel in her arms sat innocently on his bedside table. On the bottom, he'd written, _you have given me something to aspire for, All My Love, Klaus._

With a sigh, Caroline left it. It would do Marcel some good to see the human side of his father, after all.

It didn't mean he was off her hit list, but it was a start. That was all she could ask for.


	15. A Million Mistakes 2

**Summary: This is a 5+1 fic, so the subtitle is: Five Times Klaus Didn't Make A Mistake, and One Time Caroline Did. Warnings for very mild smut, period-typical racism, typical blood warning, and a cheesy ending.**

 **Rating: Mature/NSFW**

* * *

In those first weeks, Marcel pushed every boundary he could, sure that they would give him up, or worse, treat him as a slave again. Caroline, an old hat at insecurities, forced Klaus to humor Marcel. Be firm but gentle, she said.

And so Marcel called them Klaus and Caroline, was the proud owner of a queen sized bed, and was allowed to speak out of turn, so long as he didn't curse. Through it all, Klaus and Caroline doted on him, buying him new clothes, books, shoes, and everything else his heart could desire.

Their need to soothe his worries was what led them to the situation they were in now.

It was storming outside, and the only ones in the large home were Caroline, her husband, her son, and some servants who lived in the building. The storm plus the fact that no vampire ears were around could really only lead to one thing.

Caroline was well aware she was keening, probably too loud, but she didn't care. All she cared about was hitting her peak once again. Other things she didn't care about included if she was pulling all of Klaus' hair out, if any of the servants below them suspected, and where her brother- and sister-in-law had gone.

She arched as Klaus thrusted into her, on the edge. He'd teased her for an entire hour, and now she was finally going to get to come. It was _right there_ -

A knock came on their door, loud and clear. "C-Caroline?" Marcel called. His voice shook with fear - that was new. He'd never been scared around them, just...cautious. Thunder boomed outside their window, shaking the house. He knocked again, a little louder. "Klaus!"

Klaus dropped onto her with a groan. "One moment, Marcellus!"

He pulled away from the bed, from her, and searched for their clothes. Caroline took the moment to rub it out and bite Klaus' pillow to muffle herself while she was at it.

He glared as he pulled his sleep pants on over his erection, though there was no malice behind it, just lust and jealousy. He was kind enough to toss her her undergarments and night dress, which she hurriedly put on while Klaus moved to the door.

Just before he opened it, Marcel yelped, "open the door!"

Caroline sucked in a breath. Any other situation, any other person, and Klaus would have their tongue for daring to boss him around. She hoped her husband wouldn't do it now, hoped he would just let the poor, obviously frightened child into their room.

He turned the lock, twisted the handle, and stepped to the side to let him in. Marcel scrambled in the second the door was open more than a sliver, and ran for her. He stood at the side of the bed, not quite sure enough yet to climb in.

"Miss Caroline, can I sleep in here tonight? Please?" She noticed but didn't point out that he'd reverted back to using a title for her. "I'm scared of the storm," he whispered, probably not wanting Klaus to know.

But Klaus was right there, crouching by the bed so they were of a height. "You may sleep in here for tonight, and any other night there's a storm, but only if you do one thing."

Marcel looked at him questioningly, though he was still jumpy. Lightning cracked, and he clutched tightly to her hand. "What do I have to do?"

Klaus gently ran a hand down Marcel's arm, calming the boy. He made Marcel feel safe, which was something Caroline could've only hoped for in the previous weeks. "You have to try to get over this fear."

"If you can't, it's alright," Caroline added, patting his back. "We just want you to try. But still, you're always welcome here with us." While not strictly true, it eased him, and that was what mattered. "Klaus, help him up here."

With an indulgent smile, Klaus lifted Marcel by the armpits so he would sleep between them, then climbed in himself. _Thank gods the sheets weren't too sweaty_ , she couldn't help but think.

Klaus seemed to catch the thought, because his smile turned wicked. She pointedly ignored him for Marcel, who seemed to lose all reservations as thunder rumbled again.

He clung to her, and well, it was the first night of many that she held him as he slept.

* * *

By the time a year had gone by, Marcel was much more sure of his place with them.

Except when it came to the balls and parties they went to, that is.

It was impossible to enter the parties without something catching the attention of the crowds - whether it was Rebekah's daring clothes, Klaus' reputation, or the black boy who entered with the most wealthy family in the south.

Of course it was a scandal, as most things were. One of the servants had gossiped and now everyone in New Orleans knew that the rumor about one's sex life during marriage was false.

The Mikaelson name couldn't come without a scandal, it seemed. The problem wasn't that, the constant drama. It was the fact that Marcel had to attend (Klaus' orders), but always felt so self-conscious, he never had any fun. Not that the other people would ever let him.

He was never more aware of his, let's say, reality than when he was with them at the parties.

Klaus and Caroline knew this, knew that he would sit with his Uncle Elijah, not dance or talk to anyone, and be on his best behavior. Honestly, she vastly prefered him tracking mud into her home, or evading his bath, to the husk of him out in public.

It was one of those nights when Caroline finally got sick of it. She tightened her hand on Klaus' shoulder, not enough to hurt but enough to show her seriousness. "You have to do something to help Marcel."

He raised an eyebrow as they spun, but she knew he was just playing. Plans were already flitting through his mind. "What would you have me do?"

"What says 'he's here to stay, deal with it'?"

"I could dance with him, or you could. I could kill anyone who questions his presence here," he thought aloud.

She shook her head. "No, not the second one. He sees enough of that already, he doesn't need you showing him it's okay if it's for a purpose." Her eyes narrowed slightly. "Though I am positive he already thinks so. You always claim that your victims are your enemies, so it's justified."

His eyes shuttered. "Then what shall I do?" _I don't know what else I could do_ , he didn't say. Oh, Klaus. Always wanting to appease her.

She took a moment to think, stepping a little closer than was socially acceptable. "Make a speech?"

"We're guests, love, I can't." His smirk appeared, amused as ever.

"Defend him to someone, then. Make sure he can hear you from over there." Her head tilted in their son's direction. "Elijah could tell him what you say, but it would be best if he heard for himself. Do you agree?"

Klaus' eyes weren't on here, and his attention was clearly elsewhere. She turned her head slightly to look in the same direction he was, and saw a man standing by the table that Elijah and Marcel sat at.

They fell out of the waltz position almost immediately, more concerned with that than decorum.

Klaus got there first, face set dangerously. The last time he'd had that look, it was because Mikael had caught up with them and was taunting her.

"Excuse me," he said loudly, cutting into whatever the man was saying. Marcel, curled backwards into Elijah, brightened slightly, though his eyes never left the intruder. "Perhaps you can tell me why you are harassing your guests?"

The man, the _host_ , scowled. "Slaves weren't invited," was all he said.

"Good thing, then, that he isn't a slave," Caroline countered, standing shoulder to shoulder with her husband.

"Fine, then no _negroes_ allowed."

Klaus pressed his lips into a line. He didn't hesitate before saying, "that is my son. His name is Marcellus Mikaelson. And you, my host, said that all Mikaelsons were invited."

It was a challenge, and the man rose to the occasion. "I was referring to your other brother, Kol, or your sister, Rebekah, not _him_." He almost continued, but Klaus interrupted.

"You have two options: have all of us, including Marcellus, or have none of us, and none of our support."

There was that ugly scowl again. "I - "

"Elijah, please escort Marcellus back home." He waited for Elijah to cajole the boy into leaving, waited for them to get out of earshot, before he flashed forward and dug his fangs into the idiot man's neck.

Hours later, they finally made their way home.

Marcel was tucked between Rebekah and Elijah at the table, even though he should have been in bed hours before. As soon as he saw them, he raced for them.

"Thank you," he said, hugging them around their waists.

"Of course," Klaus said, ruffling his hair.

Marcel smiled up at him, and Caroline's dead heart stumbled at the sight.

* * *

After Klaus' little blow out, Marcel came down with a cold.

No, if Caroline thinks about, he had the symptoms before hand. Klaus was just too busy showing him how to control his subjects to notice.

Caroline was just getting a bowl of soup for him when Klaus stopped her. She hadn't seen him since their argument.

"What?" She snapped.

"Caroline, what has all the servants in such a hurry?"

Clearly, he wouldn't be mentioning last night. She sighed. "Marcel has come down with an illness. I say it's the stress, but the physician says it's a common cold. And you know what, he is acting just like you. Can't sit still, has to have what he wants when he wants it, fights me when I tell him the right thing to do…."

"Ha ha, love, very funny." He didn't smile but she could tell it was a close thing. "How about I take that up to him and you have a break?"

"Fine. But if you scare him again darling..." She let the threat hang in the air while she handed him the bowl and the spoon.

"Of course," he said, kissing her cheek and watching her go. He headed upstairs then, but took a quick detour to a corner, where he bit into his wrist and let a few drops of blood fall into the soup. Most illnesses weren't cured by vampire blood, but it couldn't hurt to have some in him. Whether it worked or not, it was a risk he was happy to take.

He moved to his son's room, careful not to let the soup spill. When he opened the door, it was to Marcel sitting up in bed, groaning and whining to one of the servants who cared for him most often.

"Take a break," he compelled, and took the same spot once the servant had left.

Marcel looked at him uncertainly, then gazed at the soup. "Why s'it that color?"

Klaus smiled, glad that Marcel wasn't scared enough to revert to not speaking out of turn. "It's just some bits of a potion that will make you feel better," he lied. No reason to upset the boy.

"Oh. Thanks," Marcel said, not looking at him. The bowl switched hands, leaving Klaus to watch somewhat awkwardly as Marcel chowed down.

"I'm sorry about last night, Marcellus," Klaus said, tentatively reaching out to pat his back. "I didn't mean to frighten you. I was just trying to show you what you will one day be a part of."

Finally, his son's eyes met his. Marcel bit his lip, "it's okay. Mama said you have a hard time bonding with people and that's why you're so incompetent at feelings." He smirked, and it was definitely Caroline's attitude peeking out, not Klaus'. "She said there are things we could do together that don't involve traumatising me," he added, smirk turning into a genuine smile.

With an extremely amused sigh, Klaus agreed, "she's right, as is always the case. But for now, just finish your soup and we can bond later. Hmm?"

Marcel copied his sigh and handed him the empty bowl. He flopped back, and Klaus _saw_ the scheme forming in his eyes. "Will you stay?" He asked, making his voice as tired and whiny as he could.

Klaus gave an indulgent smile, setting the bowl on the bedside table. "Just the once," he said, laying beside Marcel. Gods, the boy was making him soft. He'd have to kill more of his enemies whenever Marcel felt better.

It ended up not being just the once, but no one mention that to Klaus.

* * *

They were still trying to bond, several years later. Klaus hadn't honed the skill in a day, after all. But he was trying.

Marcel was sixteen, almost seventeen, and bored with weapons training, which was how he and Klaus had been bonding.

"C'mon, there has to be something else we can do," Marcel cajoled. He was hoping to do anything that didn't include bows, guns, swords, or anything like that. Maybe his papa could teach him to draw, or work on his writing.

"Let me once again suggest that we turn him and go hunting together," Kol called from somewhere nearby.

"Let me once again shut down your stupid ideas," Caroline called back.

Rebekah snickered and filled her cup with fresh blood; Marcel rolled his eyes in a spot-on imitation of his mother.

"Why don't you try learning new languages? Niklaus knows them all," Elijah suggested.

Klaus looked to his wife. _What do you think_ , he didn't ask her. "I think it's a great idea," she said, setting her fork down. "Marcel will get to learn new things, and Klaus will get to learn to be a patient teacher. We should start now. What do you want to do first?"

Marcel chuckled. "Well, I already know some French, so maybe we could expand on that?"

" _Bonne idée, mon cher fils. Nous avons besoin de savoir combien tu sais. Comprends-tu?_ "

Marcel, wide eyed, said, "um, I have no idea what you just said. All I heard was 'good idea'."

" _Donc, non, tu ne comprends pas?_ "

Marcel scowled. "What?"

Caroline lightly smacked Klaus' arm, more playful than angry. "Klaus! Don't just throw him into it headfirst!"

"That's why I said we need to know what he knows," Klaus said, biting off a smirk.

Marcel scoffed and rolled his eyes, much to everyone's amusement. They should really just change his name to Caroline Jr. He acted so much like her, with his attitude, his mannerisms, and his quick wit, that it would only make sense.

"Say something else," Rebekah said, leaning forward to see Marcel's face better.

" _Que veux tu que je dise?_ "

" _Tout ce qui va le mettre en colère_ ," she replied.

Klaus laughed. " _D'accord. Hmm. Ah! Il peut à peine tirer un pistolet et il est rarement sérieux au sujet de ses études._ "

"What does that mean?" Marcel asked, playing right into the game.

"He said you can barely shoot a gun properly and you aren't serious about your school work," Kol said dryly, returning to the table from...whatever it was he was doing.

"Shut up," Marcel said, equally awed and angry.

" _Ferme-la_ , Marcellus, _ferme-la_ ," Klaus corrected.

Marcel sighed, and pretended he wasn't laughing alongside his parents, aunt, and uncles.

* * *

It was only when Marcel was outwardly older than both of his parents that he asked to be turned.

On his eighteenth birthday, they'd offered to turn him whenever he wanted.

"Let me sleep on it," he'd said and then never gave an answer.

So when, on the morning of his twenty-fifth birthday, he asked, "can I be turned today?", they were both a little shocked.

They shared a look. "Uh...of course, Marcel. Klaus, you go fetch one of the servants. Marcel, come over here."

Her boys did as she said. Klaus was very quick, having one of the older slaves in the room within moments. Marcel moved much slower, stepping to her side with caution she hadn't seen since he was younger.

She didn't hesitate to bite into her wrist and have her blood drip into an empty cup. Once there was more than enough, she handed it to him.

His eyes moved between her own and Klaus'. "What does it taste like?"

"Metally, and tangy. It's a bit of an acquired taste," Klaus said, moving closer. The servant stayed by the door, eyes glazed over. "Go on, Marcellus, drink it."

Marcel pursed his lips, then forced himself to down all of it. He coughed, smacked his lips.

"Are you sure about this?" Caroline asked.

"You cannot go back from this," Klaus added.

Marcel nodded, bracing himself.

Klaus struck, snapping his son's neck. His body didn't hit the ground, as both Klaus and Caroline were there to hold him up.

The slave behind them blinked, nonplussed.

Klaus lifted Marcel, and moved him to the couch

They didn't leave his side until he'd awoken and drained the servant dry.

* * *

Many, many years later, Marcel was home from war and everyone was celebrating, even though almost a whole year had gone by.

It was 1919, coming up on one hundred years of Marcel being in their lives.

They were planning a ball, with Marcel as the guest of honor. Elijah, Kol, and Rebekah were there to celebrate, too. Everything was going great; Mikael hadn't found them in a century, their son was home, the whole family was together (even Finn, in his box), and most of all, they were happy. As sappy as that sounds, it was true.

"Are you coming with us?" Caroline asked Marcel, as he helped her put on a necklace. "We can wait for you to get ready, but not for very long. The play is starting in an hour."

"Okay, why not? I'll be down in the foyer when it's time," he said, and moved off to his room to get ready.

Caroline would regret asking him for the rest of her eternal life.

Marcel was ready to go, and he went. And when they took their seats, he wasn't with them.

Instead, he was on the stage, being crucified as a symbol from Mikael.

The church burned down around him.

She would never forget the way Klaus screamed, "Marcellus! Marcellus!" until the smoke choked him. She would never forget that she cried until she couldn't breath anymore.

She would never forget the look on her son's face as he died.

* * *

 **Translations:**

"Bonne idée, mon cher fils. Nous avons besoin de savoir combien tu sais. Comprends-tu?" = "Good idea, my dear son. We need to know what you know. Do you understand?"

"Donc, non, tu ne comprends pas?" = "So, no, you don't understand?"

"Que veux tu que je dise?" = "What do you want me to say?"

"Tout ce qui va le mettre en colère" = "Anything that will make him angry"

"D'accord. Hmm. Ah! Il peut à peine tirer un pistolet et il est rarement sérieux au sujet de ses études." = "Okay. Hmm. Ah! He can barely shoot a gun and he is rarely serious about his studies."

"Ferme-la" = "Shut up"


	16. A Million Mistakes 3

**Summary: Parents without a child. Warnings for Silas, angst + hurt/comfort, and lots of Delena (both together and individual) bashing. Maybe a little OOC. Set in s4 of TVD.**

 **Rating: Teen/SFW.**

* * *

Silas played his little game with them all, none more so than the vampires of the group.

Which meant Giuseppe Salvatore and Lexi Branson and even Lucien Castle appeared in Mystic Falls. They were always angry, but still enough like their true selves to not cause suspicion until Silas wanted you suspicious. There was an edge of pure, unmitigated _danger_ in each of them, uncontrollable and unpredictable.

Klaus had to remind himself that it was just Silas, insisting on getting what he wanted when he wanted it. Kind of like himself but worse, Caroline said. She joked that it was the worst thing about Mystic Falls - there were two of him.

That wasn't the worst part. The worst part, Klaus thought, was the others around he and Caroline. Always scheming, always thinking the world revolved around them. _No one cares that Elena is being mildly inconvenienced by this_ , he wanted to say every single time he was roped into one of their stupid, foolish plans. _No one with half a brain cell cares about Elena, period._ (Elijah didn't count. It wasn't his fault he fell for the same face every time, it was the person behind the face's fault for manipulating him into affection.)

Speaking of, Elena was going on and on about one of those stupid, foolish plans, one that was clearly Damon's opinions regurgitated into a plan (sponsored by Damon, Caroline liked to say). He was being forced to sit at the table, Caroline practically in his lap since they were in a booth meant for four, maybe five people. It was seating eight people, nine if you counted Elena and Damon as separate entities.

Ostensibly, they were there for several reasons: they wanted to be kept up-to-date, Caroline was slowly cracking Bonnie's shell so she would be open to a friendship, Rebekah didn't want to be there alone, etc. There were more, he was sure.

In reality, they were there because Caroline liked to watch the trainwreck that was the Salvatores + Doppelganger. Entertainment at it's finest.

Klaus buried his nose into Caroline's hair and forced himself to hide his distaste. He'd rather hear literally any person on the planet droning on more than her. Aurora de Martel would be nice, right about now, with her nails-on-a-chalkboard-voice, obvious flirting, and even more obvious hatred. Caroline would probably claw her eyes out - and what a wonderful sight that would be. Much more entertaining than Damon Squared and The Judgement Squad.

The doppelganger stuttered and stopped; his head popped up, intrigued. Maybe Damon had cut her stream off; the power imbalance was a delicious little treat. (Caroline found it disgusting, but he disagreed. It really added to the not-boring factor that was so often left lacking.)

But no, she was looking towards the doors. Her mouth was open in evident confusion (and the fact that he knew her well enough to know confusion on her face just made him despair. There were very few things he hated more than doppelgangers) but she didn't seem to be scared or anything. Not that she did that anymore, with her link to Damon making her fearless.

His head tilted so he could see what had stopped her. When he did, his whole body froze.

A familiar grin, hair shorn close to the skull, an air a mix of cockiness and submission. The posture was the same, as was the gait, the...everything.

He, Caroline, and Rebekah watched, shocked, as … _it_ stepped closer to the group. It wasn't his son, it wasn't _his_ , it probably wasn't even a shred human. No matter how much it resembled the boy he'd lost in 1919, it wasn't him.

Objectively, he knew it was Silas, jerking their chains. Subjectively, he knew it was nothing but a shapeshifter, an evil, malicious monster who was there to threaten his family.

"Papa," it said the second it was within feet of the table. "Why are you making that face? Something wrong?"

That godsdamned attitude, the one Klaus loved to hate and hated to love. His teeth clenched and his jaw jumped. How dare Silas do this. He could understand wanting to be with the love of your life, wanting chaos and destruction and death. But he could not understand why anyone would do...this.

"Silas," he growled, easing Caroline further into Rebekah's side. The children around him tensed, not knowing who Silas was showing himself as but trusting that Klaus did. It probably helped that Caroline and Rebekah were glaring so hard, they could've burned a hole with the heat in their gazes. Three of six Originals glaring at someone? Definitely a threat.

The grin morphed into a sinister smirk, one that he'd seen much too often lately. "How did you know," he drawled, leaning up against the high backed seat. Rebekah leaned back, disgusted. "Was it the teeth? I think his are a little more crooked than I have them." Silas flashed the teeth of his son, perfectly straight, unlike the real ones.

 _"Are"_. Fucking Silas.

He took a quick moment to make sure his eyes stayed human and his fangs didn't break through his gums. No need to traumatize the innocents of this little town anymore than he already had.

"No, it was the part where you've taken the form of someone who's long dead," Rebekah answered for them, spitting the words out. Caroline was frozen, pressed up against him. He wasn't faring much better.

"Oh, this 'ole boy? Please. He isn't dead," Silas pfft'ed, waving a hand. "Haven't you been down that way in the last hundred years? Marcellus here is on top of the world."

Caroline growled, "shut up. _Now_." All eyes (of the children, that is) snapped to her. She was known for being the calm presence that could branch between the children and Elijah, depending on if he was on their side or not, and Klaus, Rebekah, and on occasion, Kol. She had never shown the side of her that was angry, hungry, and defensive to the children. That was why they were all scared of Klaus but civil with Caroline. She was the nice one who wouldn't kill you if a mood swing hit.

His eyes flicked to Bonnie, who didn't seem scared of Caroline. But then, she didn't always seem scared of him, so he couldn't be sure if Caroline was losing a potential friend here or not. He hoped not. She had so few….

Bonnie wasn't important right now, though. Caroline was. His hand, already on her waist, tucked around her and pulled her closer. He wouldn't let her fight Silas, especially not with him taking the visage of their son. Unfortunately, it wouldn't take much effort on Silas' part for her to jump over the table and get hurt trying to decapitate him.

"Now, why would I do that? I'm telling the truth."

"No, you're manipulating us to believe your...your idiotic, unfounded stories. Marcel is dead! I saw it happen!" Caroline's voice grew more and more distressed. Tears sprung to her eyes, visibly shocking the children; he held her tighter to him, heart cracking open. "You're lying!"

Silas made a poor imitation of his son's empathetic face, mouth turning down and eyes softening. It made Klaus want to pull a page out of Kol's book and torture him, rip him limb from limb.

"I'm not lying. He's alive, running around and terrorizing the witches and wolves. He goes by Marcel Gerard, now. I guess it sounds better than Mikaelson." Silas shrugged. "You should go see for yourselves."

Klaus stiffened. Silas wanted them to go to New Orleans? No way it was happening now. He refused to play into the evil plans of the immortal in front of him.

He was about to snap something to that effect when the insufferable ingrate Salvatore brother said, "um, I know you're Silas, but who the hell are you supposed to be now? We're all confused and this little pow-wow here," he waved his fingers, "isn't telling us much."

Silas grinned. "Oh, this is Marcellus Mikaelson. The son of the Original Hybrid and his darling wife, Caroline." He paused, surveyed the group - the three Originals, the Salvatores, the doppelganger, the witch, and the hunter - and said, "I was going to have you do something, threaten you all, etc. etc., but you know what? I like leaving on this note. Ta ta!"

And then he was sweeping out of the bar, taking the last of their son with him.

The second he was out of view, Caroline elbowed him hard in the ribs and tried to push Rebekah out of the booth. He clamped his arms around her, ignoring the pain, while Rebekah threw her legs over Caroline's, keeping her in her spot.

"I have to go see," Caroline said, voice cracking. "I have to go see if he was telling the truth. I have to see Marcel." She turned slightly, to address Klaus. "I have to see our son! He needs us, Klaus, please." She was so distraught, so despaired. His heart broke all over again at the sight. "Please let me go see him," she begged.

"Care," Rebekah said, her demeanor softer than he'd seen it since the 1820's, "he didn't survive. He couldn't have. The fire was too great, you know that. I'm sorry."

Caroline sobbed, hating the truth, turning and pushing her face into his chest. The rest of the table watched, caught between intensely uncomfortable, confused, and upset. The witch, of all them all, looked the most empathetic, with the Rippah not far behind. (Good, that was good. She would hopefully be nice to Caroline after this, be more open to a friendship. Gods knew she needed it.)

Rebekah closed her eyes with a sigh, and stood. Klaus quickly pulled himself and Caroline out of the booth, needing to get away from the children and their judgements. Maybe this would finally shock them into realizing 'Original' did not equal 'emotionless'.

He moved to the doors at a fast but human pace. Caroline clutched to his shirt, wrapped around him so tight, he was probably bruising. Her cries were loud and heart wrenching.

Someone stopped him just before he could leave. "Is she alright?" He didn't look around, but he could tell that most of the people in The Grill were looking their way. Shit.

He tried to put on his socialite smile, the one Caroline said was nice but distant. In an effort to make them stand out less, he spoke in an American accent. "Yes, she's fine."

And then they were gone.

* * *

By the time he set her down on their bed, she'd stopped sobbing. He sat next to her heavily, hating her tears and hating Silas and hating Mikael, but most of all hating that he could do nothing to change the past.

Wiping her eyes, she whispered, "I'm sorry. I don't know why I believed him." She sniffed, and pulled herself onto his lap. Always was more tactile the more upset she got. "I just wish it was true. That Marcel somehow made it out, is somehow still alive. King of New Orleans doesn't sound too shabby," she laughed wetly. _Not for our baby_ , he almost heard her say.

He bit his cheek and rubbed her back. "No, it doesn't," he agreed. "He deserved nothing less."

Klaus wasn't going to say his name. He hadn't since that awful night, since Elijah dragged him out of the theater and away from the fire. Since _he_ died and took his parents' hearts along with him.

He sighed and dropped his head to her shoulder. His wolf wanted him to scent her, but he couldn't be bothered. He was too tired, too stressed, to do much of anything.

(She smelled so much like him, anyway, that it didn't matter. His scent permeated her skin, her hair, her clothes, and every other piece of her. There was no need to rub his scent onto her even more. Except….)

He pushed his nose up her neck, taking comfort in both the action and the sigh she gave. He'd forgotten, for a moment, that scenting was comforting and grounding.

Her fingernails ran over his scalp, brushed through his hair.

"I really miss him."

"I do too," he whispered, nuzzling closer. "I miss him more and more everyday."

A single sob fell from her lips. She curled tighter, legs and arms wrapping around him again.

They didn't say anything else after that, just comforted each other like they had in the weeks and months after his death.


	17. Hayley Marshall, Home Wrecker

**Summary: So, I really hate what TO has done so far this season. Elijah, Klaus, and Freya are pretty much completely different characters, and Kol and Rebekah are being pushed aside for Haylijah moments. All of that plus the Cami shit is annoying the hell out of me. So, I changed canon a little bit here to fix that. The only change is that whenever Klaus had the blade in him, he was in the dream world with the others. Then, the twins magicked Caroline (spirit but not body, I guess?) into the dream world and they spent time together. Most TVD and TO canon is ignored or not brought up. Klaus isn't in this much, but that's because this is mostly about Caroline and Hayley. Also, words like 'slut' and 'bitch' are used in this, because those are words the characters have used before. I do not condone saying them to people IRL. Title is because I feel like Hayley is trying to break up the family. Maybe that's just me...**

 **Rating: Teen/SFW**

* * *

Hayley's head popped up, suspicious. She was the only one in the house, and she was pretty sure watching TV downstairs didn't make a rustling noise upstairs.

She crept upstairs, finding that the noise was coming from Klaus' room. The door was open just a crack, which was already a warning sign. Absolutely no one was allowed in Klaus' room, except Hope. He never left his door open, especially if he wasn't going to be home.

She peered in, tensed and ready to fight.

She jumped about three feet in the air when she saw an eye looking right back.

"What the hell!"

The door swung open, revealing, of all people, Caroline Forbes. She had a henley in one hand, the other being used to flip her hair. She pursed her lips,"Hayley, what a...pleasure to see you again. If you could stop peeping, that would be great."

She spun around, not waiting for Hayley to say anything.

Hayley looked in again, seeing that the closet had been upheaved. The one time she'd seen it, it had only been a little over half-full. But now, it was almost completely full, the other half being filled by clothes only Caroline would wear. Dresses, light colors…. They didn't belong in the dark corner that was Klaus' closet. That didn't stop Caroline from moving back over and opening a drawer of Klaus' dresser.

Stupidly, she said, "this is Klaus' room."

Caroline raised an eyebrow, folding the henley and laying it down gently on a lighter colored one. "Yeah, I know."

"You aren't supposed to be here."

"This room or this house?" There was that glare Hayley hated.

 _This state_ , she wanted to say. "This house. It's the Mikaelson's, and no non-Mikaelsons are allowed to live here." That was what Elijah said, anyway. She tended to agree with him. "We're a family; no outsiders allowed."

Caroline's scowl turned into a smirk, one that was eerily reminiscent of Kol's. "See, that's funny. I'm almost positive that you aren't a Mikaelson. So what are you doing here?"

Hayley flushed, wishing Elijah were there to defend her again. He could always think up insults on the spot, whereas she couldn't. "I _am_ a Mikaelson. I don't know if you noticed, but I gave birth to one a couple years back." That made her more family than, god, Freya, Finn, Kol…. At least she'd spent the last seven years with the family, staying when she could have been running off or dying like they were.

"Yeah? Well, I have one better than you." Better _what_? Her little twins? She had to be crazy to think some little soul suckers were better than Hope Mikaelson. Caroline laughed, seeming to know exactly what Hayley was thinking. She lifted a hand (her left; non-dominant), showing off … a ring. She would think it was must a daylight ring, except for the fact that it was a diamond ring. "I'm going to be Caroline _Mikaelson_ pretty soon. Has Elijah proposed to _you_ , yet?"

Hayley glared, tempted to punch a hole through the vampire's head. It was obvious Caroline knew the answer and was just jerking her chain. "No."

"Yeah, I thought not. He's still in love with Katherine Pierce, you know. Did you ever meet her? She was the doppelganger before Elena - I'm sure you know what she looks like. You could be fraternal twins, really. He must have a type…."

Caroline's smile was wicked. She went back to folding, not sparing Hayley another look. That infuriating little twist of her lips didn't leave, though.

"You know, Klaus had a type, too. He liked girls he could use and manipulate until I came along," she said conversationally. "A lot of vampires are like that, but you wouldn't know, would you. You aren't a vampire, not really."

Hayley didn't like that implication. That she didn't belong with Klaus or Elijah, just because she wasn't like them. She threw out the first thing she could think of. "You're right, I'm not. My daughter made me a hybrid, which is a whole hell of a lot better than being some bloodsucker, anyway."

Caroline finally looked at her. "Listen, Hayley, I have nothing against Hope. She's precious, and has somehow managed to not get any of Klaus' bad qualities. She seriously lucked out there. But you are a different story. To me, you're some wereslut who's using the Mikaelson's for your own personal gain. Or protection. I don't really care what your motive is, I just know you have one. You always do."

She growled, stepping closer. _This little…._

Caroline was just amused; she started folding lingerie, unembarrassed. "Go ahead and bite me. Klaus won't be gone long enough that he can't save me. He's just a text away. But back to what I was saying. My little pet theory is that you're trying to turn either Klaus or Elijah against the rest of the siblings. Klaus with Hope, Elijah with...that," she waved a hand and gestured to Hayley's whole body. "Or maybe you want Klaus back? He's great in the sack, so I don't blame you. Also, he's your baby daddy. My baby daddy is super gross, so I can't relate there, but the other part, caught between two guys, yeah, I get that."

Hayley couldn't think of anything to say (except deny, deny, deny), so she blurted, "where are the twins, anyway?"

"With their dad." Caroline laughed, "didn't you hear? I'm Persephone - I ate some seeds and now I have to be with Klaus six months out of the year." She seemed to think it was hilarious, as she stopped her meticulous folding just to laugh.

Hayley glowered, turning on a heel. There was nothing else to say, except childishly make fun of Caroline's gross cackling.

She was sorely tempted to sic Kol on this bitch. Or Freya… god knew the oldest Mikaelson was cold and cruel in her best moments.

She was just going to call when the door opened, startling her. Great, now Caroline was distracting her so much, she couldn't hear a car pull up. Speaking of, how did Caroline get in without her noticing?

Kol stepped in and closed the door, cutting her thoughts short. Thank god it was him and not the others. No way would Klaus be okay with Hope seeing what she wanted done.

He saw her and gave a small, distant smile. He tolerated her, and it was pretty obvious. "Hello, Hayley."

"Hey, Kol. I was wondering, could I ask you for a quick favor?" She made herself seem open and friendly, even though it would probably only arouse suspicion in Kol. Their dynamic was bland at best, hostile at worst.

"Uh, okay. What is it? Does it have to be me or could Nik do it?"

"Klaus went out with Hope and the others while you were gone, and I need it now, so yeah, it has to be you."

He sighed, shrugging off his coat. "Alright. What is it?"

She beckoned him to the kitchen, where she lit a bowl of sage. "There's an intruder in the house."

Instantly, he tensed, standing taller, eyes narrowing. "How dangerous is this intruder and why are they here?" She knew what she was thinking - he didn't want to go up against a vampire with venom on their fangs. As he'd said many times, he had died twice before and wasn't interested in a third round with the afterlife.

"I don't know why she's here, but you don't need to worry about danger." She rolled her eyes. "Her fangs are just vampire ones, no venom or anything. And she's kind of an idiot, so she won't be pulling a fast one on you any time soon."

Kol's face twisted into an annoyed expression. "Then why didn't you just get this intruder yourself?"

"I don't want Hope to see me or evidence of me hurting someone like that," she countered, voice soft. All of the Mikaelson boys fell for that. Hope + small, soft voice = wrapped around her little finger.

He licked his lips, crossed his arms, "fine. Where is she?" Score, she thought, forcing a smile down.

"Upstairs in Klaus' room."

His bushy eyebrows shot up, just as surprised as she was. "Really?"

"Yeah, that's what I said."

He snorted. "Okay, well, let's go."

They went up the steps silently, Kol a step and a half ahead of her. The door was still open, revealing Caroline rearranging the jewelry box on the dresser. She was humming some song under her breath, and didn't seem to realize they were there. God, it was going to be great to see Kol rip her head off.

Kol, who had been crouched low, stood at the sight. Caroline jumped, twisting towards the sound Kol's shoes made.

She hissed, "what are you doing?" They both ignored her, though.

"Well hello, Caroline! I never thought I'd see Nik's challenge again." He stepped into the room and into the vampire's space. They hugged, which shocked Hayley more than anything before ever had. Except maybe finding out about Hope and her real history, that was.

Caroline smiled, evidently happy to see him. "Hi, Kol! I didn't hear you come up. Are you feeling better?"

"Much. I've had lots of blood to help with that. You know, there's so many easy targets here. I know you don't approve, but it's so delicious, darling. There's someone on every corner. Are you sure you don't want go for a quick bite?"

Caroline slapped Kol's chest - and Hayley's thoughts spit, _maybe she's the one who's trying to manipulate the Mikaelsons, since she can't keep her hands off of him_ \- with a laugh. "You know I only drink from bags."

"Yes, yes, B+, I know." Suddenly, he turned towards her, and called, "Hayley, I thought you said there was an intruder here."

"There is," she snapped, fed up with all this bullshit. Caroline Forbes had no place with the Original family, not like she did. "She isn't supposed to be here. She doesn't belong here."

"I've said it before and I'll say it again - or no, I didn't say it, but I implied it - this is my room. Klaus gave me half the closet and dresser. I even get seventy-five percent of the bed. We put all of this into our marriage contract," she teased. Kol chuckled at her side. "So, yeah, I do belong here. Take it up with Klaus if you have to." She rolled her eyes. "Kol and I have some catching up to do, so if you could, like, shoo, or something? That would be great, thanks."

And then the door was slamming in her face, followed closely by a chortle from Kol.

She growled, and went back downstairs. To Klaus, she texted, _your psycho bitch is here_.

He didn't text back, or even look at the text. "Fine," she said to herself. She texted Elijah next, saying, _come home now. Intruder. Kol is locked in a room, I can't get to him_. Playing on his familial feelings was a sure thing. It was nice to have some reassurance, some stability.

It didn't take five minutes before the door was being kicked open, and Elijah was flying up the stairs, Rebekah and Klaus right behind him. A car came up the driveway, revealing Hope and Freya.

Shit. She forgot Hope would be there to see the inevitable blow out the Mikaelsons were famous for.

"Caroline is not an intruder!" Rebekah screeched, sweeping downstairs again. Her eyes flashed angrily. "I don't know what made you think she was, but she is not. Do you understand?"

"I don't know why you're defending her when she was here, making fun of you not even ten minutes ago." Okay, yeah, it was a lie. But Rebekah was sensitive, and didn't take kindly to being talked about behind her back, so she wouldn't check for the truth before killing Caroline.

Hope and Freya stepped in then, quickly followed by the others flashing down to circle around Hayley. Hope was left by the door, sniffling, so Freya could circle up, too.

The only one who moved to comfort her was...Caroline. Dammit. It's not like Hayley could do anything, with Kol gnashing his fangs on one side and Klaus glaring on the other. Even Elijah looked pissed.

"Hayley, Caroline is not a threat," he said, voice even and calm.

"Certainly not an intruder!" Klaus exploded, not calm at all. "She is my guest, just as much as you are."

(She noticed that Caroline took Hope to the kitchen, where the sage was still burning. Caroline was a bitch, but at least she was keeping Hope away from this.)

Hayley glared and crossed her arms. "I'm not a _guest_. I live here."

"Yes, you do. But you live here as a guest. This is Mikaelson family property, and you aren't one of us."

Elijah interrupted, "Niklaus!"

"Shut up, Elijah, I agree with him completely," Freya said, voice dripping with disdain. "I think we all do except for you, Elijah."

Kol nodded; Rebekah hissed, "just because you gave us Hope does not make you an Original or even an Original adjacent. It just means you spread your legs for Nik and - "

Elijah, vamped out, sprung at his sister, attacking her. Kol pushed himself in between them, catching a forearm tightly and twisting.

They flashed fang at each other, ready to go for the jugulars.

"Stop!" Rebekah yelled, pulling at Kol. Klaus jerked Elijah back by a hand on his shoulder, separating the brothers.

"That's enough! Both of you need to stop right now," Freya commanded.

Kol glared, not looking away from Elijah. "Why should I when he was going to attack Bekah over the little tramp who - "

"Shut up!" They all turned to Caroline, sans Hope. "Look, one of you needs to calm the hell down and go comfort her. I vote Klaus."

"Why me?" He demanded, though his voice was very different than when he demanded things of Hayley.

"Because I want to bitch out your one night stand."

Klaus sighed and left, but not before pressing a kiss to Caroline's cheek.

Ugh.

She made sure Caroline saw her eyeroll.

"I thought he was in love with that other blonde," she threw out.

"I'm not going to speak on his feelings about her, mostly because I don't want to, but also because they're his to talk about. What I am going to say is that when Papa Tunde's blade was in him, he was in the dream world with his siblings. Do you know who else was there? Me."

"How," she spit, not really caring. If Caroline kept talking, she wouldn't be attacking, though, which was the most important thing. If she attacked, Hayley was sure Kol and Rebekah would pounce, too. They both seemed to like her much more than they did Hayley, and together, they could overpower Elijah.

"My daughters learned how to project someone into a dream," she drawled, stepping closer. Kol and Rebekah instantly stood on either side of her. "Hey Freya, Elijah," she said with a little wave. Freya smiled back, while Elijah just stared. "Anyway, while I was there, I assimilated myself. I became friends with all of them, even Elijah over there. Then Klaus proposed and told me where I could find a ring in real life. I came here to see him for the first time in about a year, and here you are, ruining it. Why am I not surprised?"

"Because Hayley ruins everything she touches," Rebekah bit out, raising a fist.

Hayley's eyebrow quirked, even as she got into a defensive position (ignoring Kol's grin, the douche). Did she really think Elijah wouldn't get pissed at her for punching the one who saved them all? Really?

Turned out, she did. Turned out, Rebekah's punches hurt more than a kick to the diaphragm.

Shit.


	18. Memories Of You

**Summary:** **While in the dream world, Kol and his siblings get visited by Nik's memories (Henrik, Stefan, Ansel, Caroline).**

 **Rating: Teen/SFW**

* * *

Much like in that one movie - Inception, Kol believed; he never saw it but he'd wanted to before he was killed - the dream world was Freya's. The house was hers, the clothes were hers; basically, the entire thing was the figment of Freya's imagination. What was not Freya's, however, was their visitors - those were Nik's.

Yes, visitors. Kol was strongly against interacting with them. Rebekah wanted to talk to them and get some insight into their brother's mind. Elijah and Freya were more case-by-case.

Take Henrik, for example.

Henrik was their baby brother, dressed as he was in his childhood, giving all but Freya memories they'd lost long ago. He ran around, giggling, playing tricks they never saw the conclusion of. It was devastating, seeing him again, seeing him so happy. The last time Kol had laid eyes on his brother was when he was dead, silent and frowning. If Kol's heart was anything but black and icy, the sight would've broken it.

Despite that, Rebekah was desperate to talk to him. Freya was too scared, Elijah too mournful, and Kol too conflicted. They tiptoed around him, mainly, watching from afar and biting off calls of his name.

Once, Freya stood in his way and spoke to him, saying things Kol purposefully didn't hear. He didn't want to hear Henrik's voice, didn't want to be reminded of what he'd lost. Rebekah tried to talk to the boy once, tried to hold a conversation, but ended up in the same mindframe as Kol.

It was better to just ignore Henrik, just let him roam and pretend he wasn't there. Watch but not interact.

Stefan, their first visitor, was a similar story - it was easier to ignore him. After they saw him the first time, it was just accepted that they would have limited interactions with him.

The very first day, they were settling, choosing rooms and chores. Kol was just begging for anything but the loft when a moan came from outside the kitchen. He ended up banging his hip into the counter trying to get to the intruder (who he was sure was a threat - his own demons were far from friendly).

He'd expected Dahlia, maybe an unrecognizable person from Freya's mind. See, that was before they realized they weren't just linked to Nik's life, but his mind, too.

What he saw was Stefan Salvatore, hair different than Kol remembered, shirtless, licking his lips and sucking on his fingers. Blood covered his chest, his arms, his hands. In the dream world, they weren't hungry for blood, but that didn't make it any less appealing.

He looked through Kol and his siblings, past them to someone they couldn't see. With a laugh, Stefan said, "oh, I know. A little pressure and...pop. Decapitated, just like that! It's no fun when they aren't struggling."

He seemed to listen to something, then smirked devilishly. He dragged his fingers on the wall, coming closer, leaving phantom trails of blood. "Klaus, that's not nice. You know I don't do that to her. Rebekah is a force of nature - no way I could control her."

At that, Elijah's and Rebekah's faces darkened. Freya looked confused; Kol was mostly wondering why Freya was dreaming of Stefan when they'd never met (and also partially thinking about Stefan's toned chest, dripping blood like that. Yum.), or at least why she was dreaming of a Stefan talking to Nik. It didn't make sense.

Stefan, ignorant of Kol's thoughts, stepped up to just in front of the little group, giving serious sex eyes. He vanished before he could say anything (and much to Kol's relief. He really did not need to see anything that was sexual and involved Nik. No siree, he didn't).

The only other times they'd seen him were when they were outside. He often stood leaning up against trees, talking to thin air, eyes dark and, somehow, always cleaning blood off of himself. Apparently, he was a bit of a messy eater.

Elijah was not interested in talking to Stefan. Freya was unsure but she'd never tried, so Kol thought she was against it, too. Rebekah tried, once, but he'd just said, "we can talk later, Rebekah, I'm spending some time with Klaus right now."

Kol thought the baby vampire was interesting, but not enough that he wanted to talk to him.

Ansel was a bit of a different story, for all four of them. Even Kol was tempted to talk to the man.

Ansel was a big man, with Native American features (though he seemed to be mixed, half Native half white) and a calm presence. Sometimes, when they saw him sitting in the garden, there was a huge hole in his chest. Other times, he was whole, sitting like a king. He moved gracefully, predatorily, like he knew how dangerous he was. Kol could feel the power in him (unsurprising; the man was an alpha werewolf, after all).

They'd never interacted with him. As though she wasn't avoiding him, too, Rebekah accused them of being too scared too - Freya disagreed.

"That Stefan guy is a shared entity, let's call him, while Ansel is not. What we know of Ansel is what Niklaus has told us of him. He isn't ours. If we talk to him, it'll be like breaking a trust, breaching privacy. You know?"

Elijah sure did know. "Yes, exactly what I was thinking," he said, adjusting his clothes. Elijah seemed nervous, like he always did now, anxious. Like he was cornered. His voice let none of that on; Kol was almost proud of him.

Rebekah huffed, pouted. "It's not like Nik has ever cared for _our_ boundaries before. Why should we now?"

Usually, Kol would agree with her. That's why Nik had never had an art journal Kol hadn't laid eyes in, why Nik could hide that little Caroline girl but could never truly _hide_ her. Could never hide the love he had for her in every rendition of his future queen. Every curve, every line, told Kol more about Nik than words ever had. It piqued his interest, this openness, this vulnerability his brother had.

So yeah, Kol knew all about her - honestly, he was waiting for her to show up and cause Elijah to positively strain himself trying to get her to save Nik. It sounded like something she'd do, from what he'd heard of her.

It was because of that that he went against his usual actions. He felt that Ansel was Off Limits, in a way that Caroline wasn't. Nik wasn't happy that his art was being peeped on, but he wasn't stopping it. If Nik knew that they spoke to Ansel, he wouldn't be _not happy_ , he'd be enraged.

So, Kol said, irritated at his sister and at himself for being so mushy, "because this is very different from our little dalliances. This is his _father_. The one he was never allowed to know. This is the one person we _cannot_ talk to. Under any circumstances."

Elijah nodded proudly. "Kol's right, sister. This is different. It would be the ultimate breach of privacy - he would surely dagger us for centuries." He quirked an eyebrow, playful even though his tone was anything but.

Rebekah glared. Elijah's word was law, so that's all she did. There was no lip from her, not today. Thank god.

And so, Ansel was not spoken to. But they listened when he talked, when he spoke of his wife and of his pack. They heard his fables, his tales, his myths. They watched as he turned, painlessly, and vanished.

But they never spoke to him. Kol would be sure Nik knew they didn't go there.

He would also let Nik know that Caroline was an absolute delight. She was one of the few visitors they did interact with.

The first time, she was wearing pajamas, lying on the couch. A bloody wound was on her neck, distinctly werewolf.

"Oh, I heard about this," Rebekah said, leaning over for a look.

Kol nodded, "yeah, me too. He saved her life and practically fell in love with her."

"Fell in love? Our Niklaus, in love?" Elijah asked, sweeping over. He laid eyes on Caroline, her eyes closed but still looking beautiful. Kol could see exactly what Nik saw in her.

"Who's in love?" Freya asked from the kitchen.

"Niklaus, apparently," Elijah said.

Freya's head popped out, saw Caroline, and raised an eyebrow. "Her?"

"He saved her life after having a wolf bite her, somehow bonded with her, and I'm pretty sure they've had sex. He's completely infatuated. And to wonder why he's so utterly uninterested in Hayley and Cami…," Kol explained with a little laugh. Admittedly, he didn't know much of their story. But the drawings he'd seen told him a lot about their relationship - Nik was pining hard.

"Who is she?"

"A girl he met in Mystic Falls. A baby vampire. She's got astonishing control," Kol offered, having never really met her.

"He's in love with her, a baby vampire with great control?" Freya asked, a little confused. Yeah, same. The idea of Nik in love was an odd one. She shared a look with Elijah, who looked like a man entertaining the possibilities.

"Yes," Rebekah said, a little testily, "her."

Then she leaned over the back of the couch, and poked Caroline in the ribs.

Caroline hissed, eyes flying open in anger. She was vamped out, lunging at Rebekah (and Kol, who stood next to her) as quick as a flash.

"Rebekah," she growled, going straight for the vugular. Elijah reached for her, but couldn't get to her before she landed on their sister.

Kol pushed her away, gently and mindful of her injury, or maybe more mindful of Klaus hearing about him hurting dear Caroline.

"Calm down!"

Caroline deflated at his shout, sinking onto the couch. Her movement suddenly turned wispy, far removed from the anger and power just seconds before. A hand raised to her neck, hiding the bite from them.

She groaned, then vanished.

Rebekah panted and ranted for hours, scaring the elusive ghost of Henrik.

When Caroline showed up the next day, Rebekah made herself scarce. The girl seemed to hold no ill will, didn't seem to remember what happened. His younger sister never interacted with her again, though. Not even when Caroline was in an episode of one-sided flirting, Ansel watching from the staircase.

Kol thought it was cute. When Freya and Elijah talked to her, she was sassy, beautiful, and so clever. This was what his brother saw, when he looked at her. Nik saw Stefan as a monster, Ansel as a hero, Henrik as a friend, and Caroline as his queen.

And Kol was lucky enough to see it all in between bouts of farm work (ugh, don't remind him).


	19. A Badass With A Good Ass

**Summary: prompt from anon "** **29\. "How is my wife more badass than me?" KC please". AH/AU.**

 **Rating: Mature/SFW**

* * *

Caroline swung her bag onto the chair and flopped down into bed. She was so exhausted, she was sure she'd fall asleep the second her head hit the pillow.

Instead, she laid and stared at the wall for fifteen minutes until Klaus entered, loosening his tie.

He seemed surprised to see her. He slung his jacket into the dirty clothes bin before coming over with a smile. "What are you doing here, love?"

"I dunno. I was too tired to go out with Katherine and Stefan, but when I got here, I couldn't fall asleep." She sat up and reached for him. "C'mere."

He sat, careful not to crush her legs by settling one behind him and one on his lap. "Yes?"

She pressed a kiss to his lips. "Wanna hang out?"

He laughed heartily. "Always. Let me take off my shoes, and I'll lay down with you."

She flopped down again, moving her legs to allow him to get up. When he was putting his shoes away, she tucked herself under their covers, determined to be cozy.

Klaus came back, sans shoes, and joined her under the covers.

He curled his arm around her, not complaining when she stuck her sock-clad feet between his legs.

"Hi," she said, messing with the collar of his button up. "How was work?"

"It was as dull as always. I had to deal with Finn and his pesky assistant again," he pouted.

"Do we still think they're fucking?"

"Definitely. She kept dropping things and leaning over his shoulder so he'd look at her cleavage." He shook his head. "But enough about that. I want to know how the case went."

Unwillingly, Caroline's smile turned wicked. "I crushed him hard. Seriously. Only took the jury a half hour to come to the conclusion I'm right."

He nodded sagely, "as I learned long ago."

"Exactly. I was told that Annalise Keating would be proud of me and my attitude."

Klaus snuggled a little closer. "I don't doubt it one bit. I'm curious, though; was it all your attitude or did your facts wow them as well?"

She bit her lip, thinking of all the time she'd spent with her notes instead of him. They both had demanding jobs, but being a lawyer was more time-consuming than being a business mogul. Co-mogul? Whatever. Point was, she had neglected him a little lately and that was his subtle way of pointing it out.

"My facts were a big part of it. Glad that's over," she said, making eye-contact so he'd get her meaning.

"Me too," he replied, smile creasing lines in his face.

She couldn't resist kissing him again; they didn't try to further it. They were both too tired from work; in the morning, she decided, his world would be rocked.

Caroline closed her eyes, content to lay in her husband's arms.

"What did the guy do when he was declared guilty?" Klaus asked, breaking the silence and causing her to peer at him.

Taking on a casual tone, she told him, "oh, he flipped out and tried to, like, kill the judge. I kicked him in the dick before he could and helped hold him down until security got him. He was basically on the ground anyway, crying and stuff, so it was pretty easy."

Klaus chuckled. "How is my wife more badass than me?"

She narrowed her eyes playfully, basking in his pride. "That better be a rhetorical question, mister."

"Of course, sweetheart," he laughed, pecking her cheek. "I'm very proud of you. I wish I could've seen you busting heads." He teased, "I'm sure it was quite sight."

She moved in a little closer, draping a leg over his waist. "It was. Katherine said she was incredibly attracted to me and my butt."

"It's a very nice butt," he agreed, sliding a hand down to cup it.

She pet his cheek, feeling something between tender and amused. "Thanks. Yours is pretty is great, too."

"I know," he joked.

She laughed, probably a little too loud, but whatever. It was nice to have that little moment with her favorite person on the planet.


	20. Illuminations

**Written for DisneyDarlingGirl, who asked for "** **I would probably like to see something along the lines of a greaser Klaus and a good girl Caroline? Maybe they could even have been friends when they were younger but as they grew up, they split up into two different crowds?"**

 **Rating: Teen/SFW**

 **Please forgive me if I didn't use the slang correctly! Obviously I was not alive in 1950s, and I got these online. Also, I hope this flows well. I wrote it in like a day, so I'm not sure how I did on that front.**

 **Slang in order of appearance:**

 **Closet case:** someone to be ashamed of; **Cool it:** relax, settle down; **Clyde:** term of address; **Duck's Butt/Jelly Roll:** hairdos of the 1950s; **Nosebleed:** insulting nickname; **Play dead:** to keep quiet; **Pound:** to beat up; **Wind one's little ball of yarn:** euphemism for sex; **Unborn:** extremely naive; **Split:** to leave; **Committed:** engaged to be married; **Steady:** to be in a serious relationship; **Passion pit:** drive-in movie theater; **Apple butter:** smooth talk or flattery

* * *

It's been a long three years since Caroline last called Klaus Mikaelson her best friend. The time, brought on by high school and his father forbidding him from being friends with her any longer, has done what they always say. It's made her heart grow fonder, somehow.

She wishes that weren't the case. She wishes that her heart had grown cold to him and his silence. But the random times they see each other at school is enough to have her pining after him even though she knows nothing of him now.

Caroline looks down at her textbook, bored with note taking and thinking about him. Her eyes wander to the ceiling, to the crowds.

When their eyes meet across the lunchroom, she remembers things she'd rather not.

Like how adorable he was as a child, dressed in his Sunday best, rolling around in her front yard with his brothers. (His blonde hair was in disarray, but the smile on his face always made butterflies flutter in her stomach.) Like how he sat in her bed, eye blackened, drawing whatever she asked of him. (She knew it was hard for him to see, with one eye swollen shut. So she asked for things he could draw from memory, and when they weren't that great, she fawned over them like she always did.) Like how, when he was twelve and she eleven, he swore he would marry her. Like how he kissed her for the first time that day, her first and so far only. (It was barely a peck, but her whole body had flushed and she'd never forgotten the happiness in his eyes.) Like how, when she first saw him at the school, she waved and tried to talk to him. (She remembers him scowling, walking away without acknowledging her. When he tried to talk to her the next day, she ignored him. And now, she's a junior and he's a senior, and there's no chance of reconciliation.)

The thoughts turn her head, make her look back at her table and her friends. She can't look at him and think about those things, not anymore. The thoughts hurt, make her think of things stuck firmly in the past.

Katherine twirls her fingers in her hair, chewing gum and making eyes at any boy that walks by. Stefan is next to her, writing furiously into his diary, tongue sticking out in concentration. Bonnie sits across from him and next to Caroline, going over her agenda for the week, deciding what homework she'll do when she gets home.

Caroline knows that her old friend, in his dark little corner, is half-listening to another story Kol is regaling him with. She knows he's ignoring Damon and Elena, who are probably kissing for everyone to see, uncaring about the trouble they'll get in. He's also, if routine holds, staring at her. (As if she was the one to drop him, to ignore him, to pretend she didn't know him.)

Enzo drops his tray to the table as Kai Parker bumps into him with a snicker, sending his milk all over Caroline's notebook and on her dress. She blinks, noticing that Stefan's pulled his diary off the table, and Bonnie has napkins out already, patting her agenda and the notebook at the same time.

"Oh, Caroline, I'm so sorry. Some _closet case_ bumped into me," he says, a little frantically. The insult leaves his mouth like a curse. He takes a napkin from Bonnie's endless bag. "Here, let me - "

And then Enzo's got his hands in her lap.

He's just trying to dry her off, she knows that. In fact, she's happy he's trying to help. Katherine and Stefan are just looking at the mess, like they can't be bothered to help. Enzo is usually right there with them, sometimes even laughing instead of passively watching. He and Katherine have a great time bumping elbows and making jokes when one of the rest of their friend group makes an fool of themself.

There's a second where Caroline is processing the fact that Enzo is touching her thighs (even through a dress, it's the first time a boy has touched her there since before puberty hit and it's more than a little shocking; it's also a little disappointing that it's not a certain person touching her there, but those thoughts are unbecoming of her). She's going to take the napkin from him and do it herself, but then Enzo's being pulled away from the table roughly.

Enzo's pushed up against the table next to theirs. Marcel and Camille, who were sitting there, flee quickly. He's sputtering something Caroline can't make out.

Klaus is there, shouting over him, "don't you dare touch her!"

He's the one who's got Enzo nearly bent backwards. Her ex-best friend, her ex-future husband, has one of her best friends so curved, he looks like a hotrod after a tree stops it in it's tracks. She takes a second to mourn the gentle little boy he used to be, the one she knew so well. But after her second, she stops worrying about him and worries instead about her friend.

She stands quickly, stepping over the bench seat and rushing to Klaus' side.

"Klaus," she says, grabbing onto his leather-covered arm. She tugs, but he doesn't move even an inch. "Let him go. You're hurting him!"

Klaus turns to her, still so close to Enzo that the hands on her friend's chest are pressing him into the table. He looks her over as if concerned. Like he's trying to make sure she's okay.

"Yeah, cool it, Clyde!" Enzo shouts, making both Caroline and Klaus turn to glare at him.

"Shut your pie-hole," Caroline says, a little meaner than she wants. But if he keeps talking, Klaus will hurt him.

He nods and mimes zipping his lips.

Klaus doesn't stop glaring at Enzo, but to her, he grits out, "he was _touching_ you."

"Yeah, Klaus, he was. He spilled milk on me and was trying to clean it up. It wasn't the smartest thing he's ever done, but he was only trying to help."

"Aww c'mon Care!" Enzo says, but he's ignored. And thank god for that, because Klaus is so angry, he really would punch Enzo's lights out.

"Just let him go, Klaus, please. There was nothing else to what he was doing." She tugs again on his stupid leather jacket, which contrasts with his good boy haircut. He doesn't have the Duck Butt that Kol, Damon, Kai, and all the rest did. It gives her hope, hope that she shouldn't have, that he hasn't completely turned his back on their conservative upbringing. That he'll come back to her.

Slowly, Klaus steps back. As soon as Enzo is upright, Klaus jerks forward, making Enzo shout in surprise.

"Get lost, nosebleed," Klaus hisses, and Enzo does just that. He's practically a blur as he hightails it out.

Caroline sighs, letting go of Klaus. She doesn't want to, truth be told - in the time they've spent in different social circles, he's grown firm in places he used to be soft - but she's still a good girl. No good girl squeezes the bicep of a _greaser_.

Kol cackles, showing off a Jelly Roll hairdo. Caroline absently thinks that it looks a lot better on him than the Duck Butt did. "Jealous, are we, Nik?" His smirk, one that is so familiar, is so wide, all the lines on Kol's face are showing.

Klaus glares, tense still. He looks like he wants to give Kol a knuckle sandwich. " _Play dead_ , Kol."

Then, without warning, Klaus is pushing past the crowd, nearly knocking Tyler Lockwood to the ground. Caroline takes no time at all to hurry after him.

He pushes the doors open, Caroline right on his heels. As soon as they're out of the cafeteria, Klaus, face red with anger and what Caroline suspects is embarrassment, spins on his heel and demands, "what the hell was that?"

Caroline gasps, hand subconsciously going to her chest. "Excuse me? You're the one who almost pounded Enzo over spilled milk! Literally!"

"You think I believe that Caroline?" He nearly shouts, stepping closer so she's pressed up against the wall. "It's obvious that he was, I don't know, trying to _wind your little ball of yarn_."

Caroline's fists ball. She won't hit him, she will _never_ hit him, but if he says anything else like that, she won't be responsible for her actions. (She doesn't care if his eyes showed regret the second the words left his mouth.)

"You could at least have the common courtesy to do that somewhere more private." He spits the words out, seemingly on a roll and unable to stop.

If there's one thing she hasn't missed about him, it's his temper and his propensity to use it as a defense mechanism.

She releases an angry breath, "I'd never let a boy do that in public! Much less before we were married!" _Much less if it wasn't you, you unborn idiot!_

A look of horror overcomes all anger of Klaus' face. The regret from before shines much brighter now. "So he was...was he _hurting_ you?"

Her own eyes widen, and a deep blush makes her face red. " _No_ , Klaus. No. He was just trying the keep my dress from staining. I promise."

Calmed down, they make eye contact. Klaus, after a moment, steps away, head lowered.

Caroline sighs, her eyes closing in displeasure. The first time she talks to Klaus since Freshman year, and it's an argument. There's certainly no possibility he'll want to be her friend again, not now.

She opens her eyes, determined to not run back to her friends with her tail between her legs.

"Right-o, then, I'm just going to - "

A rough hand wraps around her wrist. She twirls around, wishing he would just let her split.

"I'm sorry I said that. I don't really think you'd...well, do that. And I'm sorry that I almost hurt your friend. I was just so worried that he was…" He shakes his head like he doesn't want to say what's on his mind. "But anyway, I - Caroline, I was wondering. Would you like to go out on Saturday?"

As soon as he says it, he flushes and looks away. Caroline feels her mouth drop open.

"I was serious about getting committed, all those years ago," he says, suddenly confident again. She feels a little dizzy at his mood swings. "I've wanted to go steady with you for years, Caroline. I can think of no one else I would want to be with."

She keeps staring.

He blinks nervously, shifting on his feet. "Let me take you out for a movie. I promise it won't be a passion pit," he says, trying to make her laugh. It doesn't work - she's so shocked over the 180 of the conversation. To go from Klaus accusing her of acting like Elena to him asking her out on a date? Her head is spinning.

It's not spinning enough that she can't flirt a little, though. She's been hoping for a moment like this for three years. She's dreamed of him asking her out - no way is she going to just stand there like an odd ball. "You've gotten better at apple butter, you know," she says, looking at him under her eyelashes.

"Is that a yes?"

Caroline thinks for only a moment - does she want to go on a date with the boy she's been trying to hide feelings for since they were practically in diapers? "Yes."


	21. Something Amazing

**Summary: anon asked for "I heard a noise"; anon asked for "it's just rain, you aren't gonna melt!"** **For Klaroline Arbor Day! I know that it's a smut thing, so I attempted smut…a little bit. It's more suggested, honestly (tho definitely rated m), but these prompts fit the requirements so I tried! I changed the "you aren't gonna melt" part just a little bit. I hope you like it, anons :)**

 **Rating: Mature/NSFW**

* * *

There's something amazing about having sex in the forest.

No, really. Of all the pros, the highest one is that not a single one of Klaus' siblings are there to interrupt. There's also no Bonnie, no Stefan, no Elena, no Damon…. Plus, Klaus feels very connected to nature. Why not make Caroline moan while surrounded by the smell of trees?

And that's what he's doing. He's got her panties around one ankle, the other leg propped up over his shoulder. Her fingers are pulling deliciously at his hair, and she keens every time he drags his tongue over her clit.

He's just getting into it, just sliding a finger into her wet heat, when she stills. His eyes shoot upwards, his body stilling as he wonders if she wants him to stop or something.

When they're in the throes of passion, she's never still. He's always got her writhing, shifting, thrusting. Stillness is worthy of concern.

She isn't looking at him. Instead, her eyes are to the sky, looking at the tree tops. She's searching for something, he thinks.

"What is it, love?" He asks, sitting up on his elbows the tiniest bit. The ground under him is hard and unforgiving, and he shifts with a wince.

"I heard a noise." She doesn't look away from the treeline, not until he speaks.

"What did it sound like? Do we need to get dressed?" His first concern is if he and Caroline are about to be put in danger, or something. He looks upwards, too, trying to find where the noise is coming from. It could be a chainsaw serial killer, a gang, Damon trying to impress the Gilbert twins. Any of those options sound like they'll only end up bad.

Then, Caroline says, "it's a rumbling noise."

Danger leaves Klaus' mind and is replaced by anger. Caroline is naked, clearly in the process of being debauched, and Klaus is only in his boxers, also clearly being debauched. If it's Kol on his stupid motorcycle, getting an eyeful, Klaus will kill him. He really will.

He scowls, ready to stand up and help her get her clothes on. He and Kol used to take baths together when they were kids, so it's not like he'll die if his brother sees his naked chest. But if his slimy little brother sees more of Caroline than he should….

Just as he's thinking of suitable threats, a wet plop catches his attention. He looks down to realize that Caroline's breast has a trail of what can only be rain sliding down it.

It's a beautiful sight.

He thinks, _there's something amazing about having sex in the rain_.

But before he can lick the rain off of her (he'd never get it all, which basically just means licking her delectable body until she was wet in other ways), she's practically kicking him in the chest trying to stand up. She dashes to their clothes, thankfully hidden under a tree, and starts pulling on hers at lightning speed.

He can't help it - he laughs, still laying in the grass. "Love, it's just rain. You won't melt!"

"No, but I also won't be muddy, so ha!" She gives him a look like ' _you should know I'm not scared of a little rain_ '. The look also says he's an idiot for not following her the second she got up.

He looks down, positive from her comment he's got mud all over himself. He doesn't; there's just rain drops sliding down to his chest from his back. It's not coming down hard enough for him to be completely soaked.

She giggles as he heaves himself up with a sigh. "Ha ha ha," he dryly jokes, joining her under the tree. It's dry, for now. He can tell that when the rain starts to pour, they'll be soaking wet no matter where they were.

She hands him his shirt, taking the moment to trail her fingers down his chest. He'd flagged, a little, with her not pressed up against him, but one touch and he's ready to go again.

"You wanna?"

She raises an eyebrow in challenge, fingernails drawing shapes on his stomach.

As much as he wants to, as much as he can feel his muscles jumping and straining, he hedges, "I don't think the rain is going to stop and we won't be safe under here for long."

She shrugs, pulling him closer to her. She's only pulled on her underwear and pants, so while they aren't naked chest to naked chest, it's still an enticing amount of skin. He presses himself to her, feeling her delicious curves against the hard planes of his chest.

"No...but it's not muddy here." Her grin is absolutely sinful.

"And I suppose that means that you're...amenable to continuing?"

"Definitely."

By the time he has her coming around him, the thunder is so loud enough to make sure no one hears them. Which is definitely a reason why there's something amazing about having sex in the rain.


	22. Out of Sight, Out of Mind

**Summary: anon asked for 22. I am not telling you how I lost my virginity, nope. Kinda took a turn but I think you'll like it! Thank you for the prompt, I really hope you like it! Sorry it took so long, too :/**

 **Rating: Mature/SFW.**

* * *

"Twenty questions?" Klaus asked, voice showing his distaste. His fingers gently ran up and down her thigh, at odds with his tone. He did so love having her in his lap, even when she was wasting their time with silly games like twenty questions.

She leaned forward on his chest, one hand on his shoulder, the other in the bedsheets, "yeah. Come on, Klaus, we don't know a lot about each other. It's only fair." She pushed out her bottom lip in a pout, knowing Klaus would fall for it. "Please," she whined, shifting just enough that Klaus tensed under her.

"Fine, fine." He said with a sigh. "What do you want to know?"

She pretended to think for a moment; she tapped her chin in thought, making him chuckle. "What century has been your favorite so far?"

He quirked an eyebrow at her, intrigued at the line of thinking. "I would have to say the 18th century. There were so many revolutions, so much fighting. It really felt like the whole world was changing."

"So you fought in the revolutions? Did you meet George Washington?"

"Yes and yes," he replied. "And that's three."

She rolled her eyes at him, moving closer so her head could rest on his shoulder.

Sixteen questions later, he reminded, "last question, love."

"Hmm…I don't know what to – oh!" Her grin turned sly, and while he usually found that particular look sexier than anything he'd ever seen before, this time, he found himself almost nervous. All of her questions were ones she called softball ones. That grin said this last question would be anything but. "What was your first time like?"

He spluttered, caught off guard. "Caroline – I am not telling you how I lost my virginity. No."

"Oh come on, Klaus, you already know how I lost mine." She wrapped her arms around his neck, "if you really don't want to, I won't make you. But I really want to know."

He sighed, pulling her close enough that her breasts pressed fully against his chest. "It's not that interesting of a story, truthfully. It's just like everyone else's."

Caroline arched her back, saying hopefully, "if it's boring then you don't mind telling me, right?"

He chuckled at her manipulation tactics, which had gotten much kinder since the days of the Mystic Falls gang. "Caroline, honestly."

"Please," she begged, "just tell me who it was at least. I know I'm up against a thousand years of sex, and I just want to know who was first." At his hesitant look, she said, "for me, it was Matt. You know that he was more experienced than me, and that he made it sweet…."

He sighed, and nuzzled her neck. "It was Tatia, the first doppleganger. She took me to the falls and we had sex. I had no idea what I was doing, and she didn't like that. I didn't have sex again until after I was turned."

Her fingers, her delightful fingers, dragged through his hair, nails scratching his scalp. "That isn't that bad."

"She had sex with Elijah the next day."

"Okay, so we've established that Tatia was a bitch, then," she said dryly, making Klaus laugh.

They were silent for a while, just cuddling each other close.

"I have an idea," she said slowly, a wide smile on her face.

"Go on…."

"We should have sex. You know, to get Tatia out of your mind."

Klaus couldn't help his amusement; as he rolled them so he rested between her delectable thighs, he smiled wider than he had in centuries. "I completely agree."


	23. Unleash The Beast

**Summary: One of two new chapters! Based on the prompt "** **"it is 3am and you thought it was a good idea to light fireworks? i'll kill you" au" which I found on tumblr. Speaking of, quick update. I** **'m going to be on summer break starting Thursday, May 25th, which means I'll have more time to write! I have a list of all the prompts I've been given and that includes the ones from anons on tumblr, reviews on here, and also new chapters to the stories I'm currently working on. So there won't be a chapter of Yesterday Does Not Define You this week (or probably next week…I have a bazillion finals) but I will be writing a lot and hopefully finishing that this summer.**

 **Rating: Teen (SFW)**

* * *

Caroline went from deep sleep to alertness in a fraction of a second, as evidenced by her eyes popping open. What woke her up was a loud boom in the sky. A loud boom in the sky that had no place waking her up.

She rose from the bed like the Undertaker, and she thought, _when I get my hands on him, he'll wish I_ was _that brute_.

He, in this case, was her husband. Niklaus. The man who apparently thought that setting off fireworks at – _what the fuck_ – 3 AM was a good idea.

How did she know it was him, you may be wondering. Well, he wasn't in bed with her and the accompanying laughter that followed each blast was a distinct one, one she'd heard everyday for a thousand years.

She also heard Kol's laughter. Her scowl turned into a malicious grin. Any chance she got to berate not only Klaus but Kol, too, she took and quite gleefully at that.

She swept through the house at vampire speed, coming to the back porch and finding that yes, her husband and brother in law were outside with piles of explosives. Of all the dangerous hobbies Kol just had to rope Klaus into….

As soon as the door opened, Klaus stiffened. Good. He knew what was coming. Kol turned around, grinning like a goofy little puppy. Too bad for him that Caroline are goofy little puppies for breakfast.

She stepped into the grass, letting the humidity of the night wash over her before she unleashed the beast. Her eyes closed as she took in a breath.

Then she opened them again, put her hands on her hips, and said as clearly as she could, "what the hell do you think you are doing?"

Klaus winced, opened his mouth to grovel. Kol interrupted whatever he was about to say with, "Carebear, we're just having some fun. Really. No need for such ire." She was almost proud to note that his eyes didn't stray to her body, covered by only a t-shirt of Klaus' and thankfully modest underwear. Maybe he was finally learning.

Klaus hissed and hit him over the head. "Kol, shut up." He turned back to his wife. "Love, I'm sorry if we woke you up, we – "

"You woke up everyone in this god awful town, Klaus, not just me." Her raised eyebrow made him stiffen further, instinctually wanting to rise to the bait. He didn't; he was smarter than that.

"I suggest you stop with this foolish little bonding moment and come back to bed before I lock you out of our room," she threatened. This was a threat bandied around often. Nothing was worse than not sleeping curled around each other (well, okay, not true, but true enough after their centuries). It wasn't something he'd risk, she knew. He hadn't done so in years.

His eyes widened, and he turned quickly to his brother. "Kol – "

Kol grumbled, but dropped down to start cleaning the mess they'd made. It greatly amused her that Klaus hadn't even had to say anything before he was obeying. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Just go back upstairs so Caroline can get her precious beauty rest."

Caroline took that as her leave, sweeping back upstairs to the bedroom. Klaus was hot on her heels, fidgeting nervously.

When they got to the room, she let him enter before saying, "next time you wake me up with fireworks, I swear, I will wring your neck." She pointed for good measure.

He nodded, "I'll make sure it doesn't happen again, then."

"Good. And for gods sake, please find a way to bond with Kol that doesn't involve anything even remotely dangerous! Take him for a walk or something! _God_ ," she sighed, settling into bed. She hoped she could fall back asleep.

Klaus laughed as he too settled in. He wrapped an arm around her waist, being her flush to him. His laugh vibrated his chest behind her, making her eyes close at the feeling. She was mad at him, but it wouldn't be for long she knew. Not when was being all tactile and cute. ( _Goddamn him_ , she thought to herself.)

"He's not a dog, love, I can't take him to go meet friends and throw a stick around to occupy him for a little while."

"Sure you can," she countered. "Just go to the park and tell him I said if he doesn't go along with it, he'll regret it."

She'd really only sic Rebekah on him, but he would shudder to even think it if he knew.

Klaus sighed, nuzzling his nose into her neck. You're mad at him, she reminded herself. He woke you up.

"I'll tell him," he said, nipping her earlobe. "But I think it's important that I remind you that you are not the one he's truly scared of."

Caroline laughed. How cute it was that he thought he was still the scary one. "Of course, darling," she purred anyway. She could give him the illusion of power in their relationship, their family. But they both knew exactly who was the boss there, and it certainly wasn't him.


	24. Faith

**Summary: Two of two updates today! Anon asked for "a while back lalainajanes got a prompt about og caroline and intimacy and i was wondering if you could do something like that pls". Quick update.** **So I'm going to be on summer break starting Thursday, May 25th, which means I'll have more time to write! I have a list of all the prompts I've been given and that includes the ones from anons on here, reviews on ffn, and also new chapters to the stories I'm currently working on. So there won't be a chapter of Yesterday Does Not Define You this week (or probably next week…I have a bazillion finals) but I will be writing a lot and hopefully finishing that this summer.**

 **Rating: Teen (SFW)**

* * *

The way he touches hasn't changed much over the years. When he's happy, he touches her lovingly. When he's upset, he clutches her a little too hard. When he's content, his fingers touch her skin so lightly that it tickles.

She's never been daggered. He's never hit her, not on purpose, anyway. When they used to practice sword fighting and self defense moves, he never hurt her.

She remembers, when they were very young, that he would stop their games if he thought she was hurt. He would help her up from the ground, and hug her even if they weren't supposed to. She remembers that she always ended up curled into him when she stayed over for Rebekah.

They were married at fourteen and fifteen. They've been sharing a bed since they were three and four.

She's been told she's too attached to an awful man who does awful things and will never stop being _awful_. (Most people who tell her this say 'fucking evil' instead of 'awful'. All of those people ended up with their hearts separated from their body.) She's been told he has no humanity, no kindness.

She'd crawled into bed after she'd first heard that one, told him about it. "It can't be true," she'd said, "you're too romantic for that."

He'd laughed as well, curled her around himself, and growled playfully, "too romantic? I'll show you _too romantic_."

Honestly, that night had put a stop on a bit of dry spell they'd been having. (And what a nice note to start back on, she thinks.)

He has cute moments like that outside of bed, too. Like when Marcel caught them in the kitchen, Klaus molded to her back, whispering sweet nothings in her ear. Klaus had turned them around, an arm around her waist, and teased Marcel about him understanding someday. Like when Tyler bit her and he found her as quickly as he could, giving her more blood than she needed. Like when Damon made fun of them for hugging after bad things happened. He always growled at the other vampire over Caroline's shoulder. He would never let her go just to threaten an imbecile like Damon Salvatore.

She often references those moments when people tell her he's too cold, too broken.

No one who is as evil or horrible as they say could possibly hold her the way he does.

She won't believe any person who says otherwise.


	25. Comfortable

**A 5x11 au where Caroline is autochorissexual (definition: It is a subset of asexuality which is defined as: a disconnection between oneself and a sexual target/object of arousal; may involve sexual fantasies or arousal in response to erotica or pornography, but lacking any desire to be a participant in the sexual activities therein.)**

 **Beta read by princess-of-the-worlds!**

 **Rated M (sorta NSFW but smut isn't the main component of the oneshot)**

* * *

He didn't realize it until he was on his back in the middle of the woods, Caroline on him, _around_ him.

She wasn't the least bit interested in what they were doing. Her eyes watched his face like a hawk, nothing getting past her. That was why she kept clenching around him as she went up (she'd gotten it on her first try; usually it took several rounds for even the smartest of girls to catch on), and why she'd asked to be on top, he imagined.

Being on top gave her control. Being on top meant she could see what was happening and do it all according to what he liked.

He also figured that she was doing this out of some kind of obligation. She was enjoying herself but not having fun. Her moans sounded a touch too porny. Worst of all, her eyes would flick around every once in awhile, like she was looking for her friends.

Well, no more.

He flipped them just as she went down, making him sink even further. Her face didn't change, leaving him impressed.

"Caroline," he rasped, not in any danger of flagging, "why are you doing this?"

She tugged at his hair, annoyed. "Because you're hot and this is my last chance before you go back to New Orleans?"

"No, really, why. You don't have to keep it up. Your friends aren't forcing you to pretend any longer." He kissed down her throat, gentle and closed-mouth.

"What? What the hell are you talking about?" She was flushed, arching her neck into his kisses. But she sounded anxious, like he'd stumbled onto her biggest secret.

"I don't want to presume," he said, "but I have an inkling, if I may share it?"

Looking hesitant, something he'd never wished to see on her face, she nodded. (Okay, flagging had started. Unlike Kol, fear had never gotten him off.)

"I think you may be asexual," came his blunt statement. "I think that you feel obligated to have sex, just because your friends assumed you would be sexually interested in me. I think that assumption is what led you to indulge me, and I think the leftover feelings have you trying to indulge me once again." With every word, her face hardened. "Am I wrong?"

"Yes!" But she couldn't look him in the eye, when not two whole minutes before, she was the best eye-sex of his entire life.

He made his voice gentle, "Caroline, we don't have to do this. I'm not judging, I just want you to be comfortable."

"I am comfortable," she snapped.

He raised an eyebrow at her.

She softened, pliant under him. Still, she rolled her eyes. "Okay, fine...I may be asexual."

'What was that,' he wanted to say, wanted to drag it out and embarrass her. Instead, he said nothing, just did his best to make eye contact. He was evil, he was emotionless, but in the face of his love, he was...compassionate. How odd.

"I do want to have sex with you, I promise I do, but…."

"But...you aren't getting any enjoyment out of it?" He knew asexual people could have sex, but he wasn't sure why they would want to if they got no climax out of it all.

"No! I'm getting the enjoyment of being bad for once. Doing something I know I'm not supposed to be doing." She blushed. "Also, like I said, you're hot. And a great kisser. And you're leaving which means this really is my last chance."

"You can always come with me to New Orleans," he cajoled, shifting a little. She winced, and he felt it was for more than just the obvious reason.

"Klaus…."

"Okay, okay, I won't pressure you. I just wanted to try one last time." A thought occurred to him, and he asked, "Were you ever told by the merry gang to have sex with me?"

She shook her head. "No. I mean, Damon told me to shake my tits in your face and jump on your dick as a good distraction, but he didn't really mean it."

Familiar distaste for the older Salvatore brother once again curled his lip. She'd confided, once, that when she wanted to be human again, she thought back on how he made her feel, how she was vulnerable. She used the memories to boost herself back up.

"Are you certain I cannot kill him? I wouldn't even have to go too far out of my way." Not even a five minute run, here and back.

Caroline gave him the look that always equally amused him and softened his resolve. "Don't, Klaus. I told you I could handle him; I still can, and it's still not worth it. Now, if you aren't completely soft yet, you can go ahead and finish. All I care about is that you keep kissing me."

He hesitated. "Are you sure you're okay with this?"

"Yes, Klaus, I'm sure. I don't need to cum, but I know you do - "

" - I can live if I don't - "

" - I know you _want_ to, then, and I'm okay with it. But hurry up, I need to take a shower ASAP." She pulled a leaf out of her hair, not seeming to take notice of his reticence.

Klaus was still unsure. But she'd said she was okay with it, and she wasn't lying. He always knew when she was, and none of her tells had been showing.

So maybe he would take her up on her offer. All he'd have to do is put his mouth to good use, and, after a thousand years, he knew how to kiss better than most.

He checked one last time. "You're certain?"

On Caroline's face shone an ounce of affection accompanied by genuine happiness, which he saw more of the more time they spent together. "Yes, I am." Then she grabbed his hips and made him move.

He'd have questions for her, once she came to him, once she opened herself to his love. But for right then, none of them mattered. What mattered was sticking his tongue down her throat.


	26. A Million Mistakes 4

**I cannot say how sorry I am this took so long to come out! This chapter really fought me, and then my grandpa died, and then I got sucked into the MCU fandom, and etc etc.**

 **I'm not gonna bore you with that anymore - I'm just gonna shut up so you can read.**

* * *

Every March 4th, the King of New Orleans went into mourning.

He would hide in his rooms all day, until the sun had descended and he could walk to the wretched theater in peace. Every year, like clockwork, he made his way to the charred remains and sat where he almost lost his life.

Every year, he remembered what he lost.

No, he wasn't the only one who lost a loved one that night. Many humans died, even some werewolves and witches. The only vampires who didn't make it out were the former King and Queen of New Orleans.

But he made it out; he lived.

Every March 4th, he hated himself more and more for surviving while they didn't.

* * *

The next day, they were summoned to the Salvatore Boarding House. Klaus didn't want to go, didn't want to subject Caroline to the idiocy of the baby vampires and their toys. Caroline, however, insisted. (She made up for it with another round. Afterwards, he was all for going.)

When they saw the gang, sitting around in the living room and scooting to let Matt (who had answered the door) sit again, Damon barely opened his mouth before Caroline shut him down.

"Not a word, Damon, or I'll cut off your tongue and pull your teeth out one by one."

Some of them (Elena, Stefan, Matt, Jeremy) jerked back. Others' mouths dropped open (Bonnie, Alaric). Klaus smiled, delighted by the side of his wife that was rarely seen.

And Damon? He clenched his jaw, and said, "I was just going to say I'm sorry for your loss."

The statement was bit out. Caroline didn't even have to share a look with Klaus to know he agreed that Damon was forced to say it.

"Thank you," she managed, heading straight for his stash. If he was going to make insincere apologies, she would make a drink. Klaus stayed by the couches, making sure no one tried to stop her. She poured two glasses of whiskey and moved back to his side. She did so love presenting a united - and scary - front with Klaus.

"So...you had a son?" Elena asked, eyes shifting around. Bonnie cut her a glare, surprisingly.

"It's okay, you don't have to answer that," she said, somewhat diplomatically.

Klaus shrugged, though internally he was putting Bonnie on the list of people he could tolerate for more than an hour. "It's fine. Yes, we had a son; yes, he died."

"God, I'm so sorry," Elena said, perhaps even meaning it. Klaus doubted it, though.

"Thank you," he and Caroline said politely back. Sorry wouldn't reverse anything, but the thought was nice. Klaus supposed.

"If you don't mind my asking, what happened to him?" Stefan asked.

Klaus felt Caroline stiffen at his side. That settled it, really. He would explain, short and bittersweet.

"Mikael tied him up with vervain ropes and burnt a theater down around him," he said, words clipped. "Let's stop talking about him, though. Silas needs our attention more than he does."

Caroline cut him a look from the corner of her eye, but went along with it anyway. All of the children there did as well, perhaps because they recognized Klaus' tone.

It'd almost been a hundred years, but he couldn't talk about his son, not really.

* * *

Silas showed up a lot, after that. Always, he wore their son's face.

Klaus wanted to end him so badly, he shook with his rage. But nothing could stop him, nothing that any of them did. All plans were foiled by him, all ideas found ridiculous.

At every opportunity, he mentioned New Orleans and their boy. He sometimes plead, as their son, for them to return to the city and make him happy. It was a constant, nagging thought that, despite Klaus' best intentions, cemented itself in his mind.

If he were alive, shouldn't Klaus go to him? Wouldn't that be the right thing to do?

It would, and he knew it. Klaus wasn't often in the business of doing the right thing, but...this is his son. Historically, it'd been _Marcel_ who'd brought out the best in him. Other than Caroline, that was. Either way, domesticity had tamed the beast inside him.

For several days, Klaus thought on it. He didn't need the beast tamed again - actually, it was beneficial if he was more cruel than ever before. But he couldn't take this much longer, seeing the face of his son committing terrible acts, having to console Caroline that _no, it's all a ruse, it's not a nightmare but that's not really him, either_. He was hesitant to let Caroline know how he really felt about it, and during the few days, he found ways to get out of talking about anything of importance at all. They both skirted the topic of New Orleans itself.

On the third day, Klaus decided he would go.

He didn't ask Caroline. She'd berated herself for falling for Silas' trick the first time and declared she wouldn't return to New Orleans until long after Silas was gone, but Klaus knew her well enough to know it was all a facade. If he told her he was going to New Orleans, she'd insist on coming with him.

Truthfully, he told himself as he waited for Caroline to accompany Rebekah somewhere, he'd only be gone a day. All he needed to find out was if what Silas said was true. That shouldn't take long at all - just threaten one vampire within the city limits, find out who was the King of New Orleans, see for himself in person, and return home.

Simple.

* * *

Klaus ran there, interested in some exercise. He took a quick feeding break in Atlanta, but didn't kill the old fool out of respect for Caroline's wishes of less death.

It was mid-afternoon when he arrived, a balmy day that was punctuated by seemingly all of the citizens being out and about. Klaus largely ignored them, more interested in finding a vampire young and weak enough that intimidating them wouldn't take much energy.

It was rather easy, which must speak to the state of the city - a cesspit of vampires. His kind of city, really.

The vampire was very young, probably only a decade or so old, and they crumbled quickly under his threats. He didn't even have to compel them.

"What is the King's name?" He demanded, holding them up at the throat by a single hand, no wall to support their body.

They choked out, "Marcel! Marcel Gerard!"

Klaus was not proud to say that he dropped the baby vampire and hurried away.


	27. Everything You Wanted

**Summary:** prompt from thetourguidebarbie: "kc + claimingggg smuttttttt"

This is soooorta original Caroline except Caroline was like, one of the first vampires they turned. This is also an au where Katherine is the doppleganger used to break the curse but that's not super important here.

Thank you for princess-of-the-worlds for betaing, cheerleading, and pretty much holding my hand through this!

 **Rating:** Explicit

* * *

 **1033**

Caroline asks Nik about it just once when they've been together long enough she feels secure enough to pry a little.

They're just about to settle into bed for the night, a perfect time to ask Nik questions he usually wouldn't answer. Settled on the side of their bed, she asks, "Is it true?"

He hums, pulling his tunic off. He turns to face her once it's a ball in his hands, a smirk on his plump lips. He saunters closer, dropping the scratchy clothing to the floor. Caroline is well-acquainted with his body, nude or clothed, and she takes in her fill of it. When he stops, she rests her hands on his hips, fingernails digging just slightly into his flanks. Their eyes meet, and in her peripheral vision, she sees his smile sharpen. "Is what true?"

"That you…." she pauses, thinking back briefly to the conversation that sparked this one. "That you're a hybrid."

Nik freezes, but doesn't pull away. Still, she flattens her fingertips to his sides, no sharp points to make him feel threatened. "Who told you that?" He asks, voice just light enough to not reveal whether or not it really is true.

 _It was Kol_ , she doesn't say, but she doesn't have to.

"That's your Kol face," Nik voices, visibly deciding to kill his younger brother, and this time he does pull away. His hand hardly begins to reach for his tunic before she's got them turned around, so he's on the bed. She climbs into his lap, her nightgown - purely for show, of course - riding up her thighs. Strong arms wrap around her waist.

"Darling, he didn't mean anything by it. He simply told me what happened the night you were turned, and it was brought up. But he didn't say much." Nik's face stays hard, even as she cups his cheek. For a moment, she makes a face at him, which he replies to with a raised eyebrow. She frowns and asks, "Can it at least wait until morning, Nik?"

He sighs but relents. "A little bloodshed with breakfast, aye?" They share a chuckle at that, and he pulls her closer. There are no barriers between them, and Caroline resigns herself to asking again some other night, but then he says, "It is true. My mother had a torrid affair with a werewolf, and from it, I came." He sighs for a moment, eyes tracking her expression. "Did Kol tell you what happened?"

Delicately, she says, "He told me that your mother wronged you and that I should ask you if I wanted to know how."

"Well, he wasn't wrong," Nik says, a breathy chuckle underlying the words. He sobers quickly, however, and succinctly relates the binding of his wolf nature and the death of his mother. By the end of it, Caroline is dragging her nails through his hair, scritching gently at his scalp.

If there's one thing Caroline knows about Nik after more than a decade together, it's that he doesn't do comfort well. No matter how much she wants to cuddle up and tell him his mother had no right and that he shouldn't have to suffer this way, she knows he won't want to hear it. So instead, she waits a few minutes, minutes they spend silently, and then she presses kisses up his throat.

Several minutes later, with her back to their bed and him hovering over her, all thoughts of his past pain are long gone.

* * *

 **1492**

Watching Nik seduce the doppelganger is infuriating. Watching as the curse on her beloved breaks is far more enjoyable.

Especially when they retire for the night, not even attempting to be discreet.

She barely spares a thought to her siblings-in-law, who will no doubt have something to say tomorrow. It's not like they don't have sex often, and loudly, and it's certainly not like the other Mikaelsons don't do the same.

"Love," Nik breathes against her lips the second they're in their room, nipping with at her bottom lip with his human teeth. It pulls her to the present, where she mumbles something nonsensical in reply. Kissing is more important than talking, anyway.

They kiss for long minutes. She bites down on his lip until there's the sharp taste of blood and licks it away, savoring it. "Mmm," she hums against him.

Usually, he'd bite back, but this time, he doesn't. Instead, he flashes them to the bed, wasting no time in undressing himself. Caroline loves the dress she's wearing, so she pulls it off as fast as she can. Along with his clothes, it gets thrown somewhere in the room.

Their skin presses together deliciously. Through the haze of sexual desire, Caroline notes that he's warmer than she expects, and he smells… not different but not quite the same, either. She pulls away from him just far enough to tuck her nose in the hair behind his ear. She breathes in but has no time to think before Nik is moving, moving downwards, catching her attention.

He kisses random spots, the underside of her breast, the bumps of her last ribs, just to the side of her belly button. Their eyes don't leave each other the entire time, but Caroline is still aware that Nik is smirking as he does it and especially as he finally breaks eye contact. It happens when he finally gets his mouth on her, eyelashes fluttering beautifully.

After so long, he's a genius with his tongue, and he licks and sucks at her just how she likes. The attention he pays to her clit is exquisite. Her hand stays tangled in his hair, tugging every time he nips with human teeth. Fingers find their way into her, hitting the spot that routinely has her screaming for him.

She tugs his hair so hard when he first rubs at it that she feels his wince against her. He gets back at her for it by doing something downright devilish with his tongue that has her thighs trembling against his head. His laugh against her has her whimpering like a child, but the vibrations just make the feelings in her build.

Then he's pulling away completely, much to her ire. "What?" She demands, unable to think of anything else to say.

He laughs again, and while she loves to hear it, it only serves to make her mad right now. She was _so close_ before he decided to pull this stunt. "Come on, love, let's switch places," he says with a pat to her hip.

Before she can protest, Nik's laying on his back and she's straddling his thighs. His hands settle on her ass, and it's that that clues her in. She can't make assumptions about what he's got planned, especially in bed.

To prove her right, he doesn't have her touch him - instead, he tugs her body so she's kneeling above his head. And well, she has no qualms with this.

Caroline looks down, meeting his eyes. His breath puffs against her, and his eyes twinkle with mirth. "My face is your throne, my love."

Caroline had expected something romantic, possibly, since this is the beginning of something new for them, and surely that calls for a little seduction. Instead, she gets more teasing. With a huff and a roll of her eyes, she lowers herself down.

They fall into a rhythm again immediately, made easier by the rolling of her hips. He keeps a firm hold on her, guiding her movement. She clutches the headboard, panting for breath she doesn't really need as he brings her over the edge.

She's shaking as she comes down from it, unable to do much but pet at Nik's hair. He gives her only moments before he's again changing their position, with her settled in his lap. Suddenly ravenous, she kisses him, tangling their tongues together. He growls when they have to separate for air, the sound of it setting her on fire. She gets on her knees again, no communication necessary for Nik to position himself. There's no discomfort when he pushes into her, just a feeling of rightness. Her head falls to his shoulder, his arms holding her close.

Nik moves his hands to hold her hips and guides her in a smooth roll. It feels amazing; anticipation wells up inside of her. She straightens up, ready to give her all to riding him. Then she sees something that makes her pause.

His eyes are golden.

She gasps, reaching up to tilt his head this way and that. "They're yellow," she says. Of course, they've talked about this, and she knew his eyes and fangs would change, but seeing it is different than just knowing.

He watches her take them in, asks, "And what do you think of them?"

For a moment, she doesn't say anything. Then - "They're _beautiful_."

Nik inhales, sharp but not particularly loud, and yet she hears it anyway. His fangs drop, and she's shocked to find there are four of them.

Her first thought is, _I want him to bite me._

They often bloodshare during sex, it being one of, if not the most intimate things vampires can do with each other. Caroline loves to do it, loves to feel his teeth in her veins, loves to feed and be fed off of by him. She's been worrying about losing it, once the curse was broken. She's not actually an Original despite the rumors, and a werewolf bite could surely kill her. But the monster inside of her doesn't care about that - it just wants Nik to take a bite of her.

It's her who flips them this time, knowing it's much easier to do this when one of them are on their back. Her legs stay locked around Nik's waist, keeping their hips together and him inside. And if she squeezes around him while she does it, well….

He groans, dropping his head to the crook of her neck. He thrusts, gentle at first but gaining speed and strength quickly. She cries out, scoring harsh red lines on his back with her fingernails.

Their breaths mingle and combine, and soon enough, they're kissing. It's sloppy, but she can't put any effort into making it good when Nik is fucking her so good.

Pleasure starts to tingle in her toes, climbing up her legs and through to her chest, up her neck, until she's completely consumed by it.

Caroline cries out, inadvertently holding him as close as possible in a tight grip. He moans lowly, hips snapping forward as he finally, _finally_ bites.

The feeling of teeth sliding into her vein is always uncomfortable at first, but it never takes long for her to adjust. This time is different; there's undescribable pain instantly radiating in her bones. It's dull but sharp, bright and flaring and continuous, and it made her gasp. He reacts to it, making a questioning noise in his throat, but he doesn't pull his teeth out.

Instinct makes her mimic him, her mind telling her _maybe it'll make it feel better_ even as another part tells her, _don't be stupid, Caroline, why would it make it better?_ \- she bites him back in the same spot she always does.

His blood hits her tongue within seconds, and washes away every ounce of the pain. She can't help but suck at the bite, savoring what has to be one of her favorite things in the world. It helps that Nik thrusts again, moaning against her neck. He comes with a choked off noise and rough jolt of his hips, not loosening his hold on her. One of her hands goes to the back of his neck and just rests there, ready to stop him from moving away.

With the pain gone, Caroline has the wherewithal to notice that something feels different. _They_ feel different. It's like she can feel him - and not just physically. Well, he is still on top of her, and she is wrapped around him, but she means _emotionally_.

It's like there's a tether connecting them now, binds that Caroline doesn't think she'll ever want to be rid of. Something in her, her creature perhaps, recognizes Nik as hers, no one else's. She's his as much as he's hers.

And though her feelings haven't really changed - she's still annoyed by his brashness, still fond of his sense of adventure, still wishes he could be less dramatic when he needs to be serious - she loves him more than she ever has before.

The first time either of them said it was after just under a year together, and it had been Caroline who sighed it out just before she fell asleep one night. Nik had said it back months later after an argument (it only took so long because feelings scare him, she wants it to be noted).

After centuries, it's easy to say it, easy to mean it. Her love for him is strong and unshakeable, but now, as she tangles her fingers in his hair, it feels like is used to - when they were younger and it was new and exciting. She closes her eyes and lets herself relax into it.

Nik detaches, pulling her out of her thoughts. He gracefully moves to his back next to her, and they simply lay in silence (as much as there can be with their completely unnecessary panting) while their wounds heal.

As she opens her mouth to ask if he wants to go again, he says, something like awe coloring his voice, "I didn't know it would feel like this."

She should ask, _What does it feel like, my love?_ It's what any good wife would do. Instead she just leans over, kisses his cheek, and says, "Is it everything you wanted?"

His eyes - so blue and so easy to read - flick to her. "Yes, I think so, love," he tells her, and there's only sincerity to be seen in his gaze.


End file.
